Qantas Group is inviting the world’s most innovative startups, scaleups and digital disruptors to apply for its second AVRO Accelerator program.

The AVRO Accelerator, run in partnership with Slingshot, gives entrepreneurs the chance to work with Qantas Group to develop, incubate and scale their businesses.

The program, launched in 2017, helped participants build products to trial with Qantas customers, people and operations, as well as commercial and investment deals to grow their businesses.

This year, Qantas is looking to continue that momentum and invest in emerging businesses that can help Qantas continue to diversify and grow, while offering its customers new and improved experiences, and its people smart solutions to transform how they work.

Qantas Group Executive of Strategy, Innovation and Technology, Rob Marcolina, said that Qantas is looking to discover more talent this year.

“The aim of the AVRO Accelerator is to find the next generation of businesses that can benefit from our unique assets to help identify new growth opportunities for Qantas, while helping to build their businesses at the same time,” he said.

“Through our 2017 cohort we discovered ideas that we have implemented to help improve our customers’ experiences. For example, with our help, Volantio launched its Yana platform, enabling airlines to give customers more flexibility when they travel. The dynamic technology is currently being trialled here at Qantas, along with several other airlines around the world.”

Slingshot CEO Karen Lawson said the aim of this year’s program is to continue to drive commercial outcomes for Qantas and startup founders.

“Australia is now recognised by the Global Entrepreneurship rankings as 7th in the world. There is a wealth of talent in this country that we want to work with. Our search and cohorts are often global in nature representing strength in diversity in all its forms,” she said.

AVRO Accelerator participants will receive funding – with the opportunity to secure additional, next round funding from Qantas – and work with industry-leading mentors and technology partners to accelerate their product development and customer traction. Supported by a structured curriculum and mentorship program, businesses will also have unique access to the scale and global reach of the Group’s brands, its domain expertise and anonymised data and insights.

“When you give agile startups and scaleups access to resources like these, the sky really is the limit”, added Ms Lawson.

Applicants wanting to join the program should reflect one or more of the following themes:

1. Personalised, seamless experiences: Revolutionise our customer journey. Streamline it, personalise it, and give the customer complete control.

2. Live well, feel well: Help us enrich the lives of our customers and our communities.

3. Connecting to customers: Help us better understand, engage and reach each of our customers, personalising and optimising the interactions we have with them.

4. Smarter, safer operations: Transform our processes and platforms to make us safer, faster, simpler and more efficient.

5. Innovating without limits: Challenge us with original thinking and show us new ways to use our unique assets.

More information can be found at qantas.com/avro along with details of the roadshows in Melbourne and Sydney.

Applications can be made here and will close at 11:59pm AEST 30 April 2018.

Read more about Slingshot here