AeroCloud Systems has announced a seed investment of $1.7m (£1.2m), led by VC fund Playfair Capital. AeroCloud is a cloud-based airport management solution. It provides real-time data to enable the management of critical operations.
Its predictive AI, resource management & planning system identifies future passenger flow with 97% accuracy to ensure maximum visibility of operational demand and optimized communication with airlines, ground operations, and tenants.
The platform is cloud-based, easy to use, and built on leading-edge technology, keeping the price point within the reach of small to medium-sized airports. It also provides larger airports with an alternative at a much lower cost to existing solutions, essential at a time when the industry needs additional support to recuperate from the effects of the pandemic.
Based in the US and UK, the business has deployed its platform in major airports such as Tampa International and John Wayne in California. This investment will drive further growth in North America and enable key hires. One such hire is Andrew Hoppe, our new Director of Airport Engagement and industry veteran, who joins from competitor ADB Safegate. Andrew has worked with airports, airlines, and the transportation sector in technology sales roles since 2014.
CEO George Richardson and CTO Ian Forde-Smith launched AeroCloud in 2017 to address the legacy airport operations market gap. They felt previous solutions were too expensive, not focused on customer needs, and not innovating fast enough.
On the raise, George Richardson said:
“Myself and my co-founder, Ian Forde-Smith, always felt the airport operations sector was an underserved market that we could have a huge impact on. And we’ve shown that a combination of genuinely innovative technology and great service is really resonating with the airports we speak to.
“The pandemic has given us an opportunity to show airport executives how our platform can optimize their operations and save them costs when they’ve needed to most. As vaccination programs ramp up around the world, air travel is set to make a big comeback in the US and then Europe, our two key markets. We’re incredibly excited about the opportunity this presents us to rapidly accelerate the growth of our business.”
On the hiring of Andrew Hoppe, George Richardson added:
“Andrew deciding to join us is a testament to the buzz we’re creating in the industry as a customer-focussed business solving challenges with leading-edge technology.”
Andrew Hoppe, Director of Airport Engagement, North America, AeroCloud Systems, commented:
“I’ve joined after witnessing AeroCloud deploy AI-driven gate management systems at airports overnight, and in the process save 80% on IT and maintenance costs.
Since coming on board, I’ve been able to see for myself that they are unequivocally the most innovative and customer-centric software company in the aviation space.”
