Airbus BizLab starts its third season – Nigerian start-up among 12 selected for development

Nigeria’s Aerial Industries is based at the Airbus BizLab campus in Hamburg.  It has developed a concept using high-performance drones for crop-spraying on farms in developing countries. “Our technology is faster, cheaper and more precise than tractors. Moreover, because it uses less chemicals it is more environmentally friendly and safer for farm workers to use compared with traditional methods”, said CEO Ndubisi Arinze Eze.

“Being taken under the Airbus BizLab’s wing is a great opportunity for us. It has access to Airbus’ incredible expertise in drone technology and a worldwide presence that will help to position us for our future markets and partners.”

The accelerator takes a hybrid approach, bringing together external startups and so-called intrapreneurs based at Airbus, who will work together to ensure that their innovations are market ready. Being accepted into the programme, these new startups join an illustrious group of 56 start-ups and projects that have already graduated.

“We were really amazed at the sheer quantity of applications,” explained Head Of Airbus BizLab Bruno Gutierres. “This year we received applications from around the world, and were in touch with over 2,000 interested contacts.” The selected firms hail from nine different nations – from Vietnam to Nigeria – and cover a broad range of topics, from big data to drones and robotics. The diversity of this season’s cohort was no accident: “This time around we specifically sought out startups that aren’t directly involved in the aerospace industry, yet who are developing ideas that hold great potential for our industry,” said Gutierres.

New this season: Along with start-ups from the aerospace industry, for the very first time candidates with a humanitarian approach, such as Aerial Industries, could also apply as part of the “Humanitarian Challenge”. Andrea Debbane, Executive Director Airbus Foundation, explained that, “We’re constantly amazed by some of the innovative solutions that people across the Red Cross and Red Crescent network are developing in response to the challenges they face in their own communities.”