Eutelsat partners with Starburst Accelerator

Unique start-up incubator assembling aerospace stakeholders galvanises innovation

Eutelsat Communications (NYSE Euronext Paris: ETL) today announces it is becoming a partner of Starburst Accelerator, a start-up accelerator that stimulates innovation in the aerospace industry.

Starburst Accelerator was set up in 2013 to propel innovation in the aerospace sector by closing the gap separating new ventures from established companies, public organisations and venture capital firms. It provides young start-ups with a set of services enabling them to fast-track their growth, including support for business plans, interface with investors and industrial groups, office space and participation in regular workshops. It has also initiated partnerships with university labs in Europe and is expanding this network in the USA.

As the first corporate partner with an operator profile to support Starburst Accelerator, Eutelsat will strengthen the incubator’s interest in start-ups developing services, applications and downstream technologies and will be part of the selection committee, joining innovation experts from partners that include Airbus, Thales, Hutchinson, Panasonic, Liebherr, Safran and Air France-KLM.

Jean-Hubert Lenotte, Director of Strategy of Eutelsat, said: “Becoming a partner of Starburst Accelerator is one more step in our active policy of open innovation, following on from our investment in Sigfox, the fast-growing connectivity provider dedicated to the Internet of Things. In domains where disruptive changes are taking place, teaming with start-ups fosters joint exploring of new approaches and spurs innovation. As a corporate partner of Starburst Accelerator we want to support young ventures in the aerospace sector and help them successfully innovate and grow.”

Francois Chopard, Founder of Starburst Accelerator, added: ”We are very excited to have Eutelsat on board, one of the leading  operators of communications satellites. As connectivity is becoming a major subject in terms of new services, a growing number of start-ups are entering this field. It is important for us to be able to connect them with one of our partners. We are now closing the loop of the aerospace supply chain.”