Photo: Shutterstock/Eutelsat

[Via Satellite 07-29-2015] Eutelsat is becoming a partner of Starburst Accelerator, a startup accelerator established in 2013 to stimulate growth in the aerospace industry by closing the gap separating new ventures from established companies, public organizations and venture capital firms. As the first corporate partner with an operator profile to support Starburst Accelerator, Eutelsat will strengthen the incubator’s interest in startups developing services, applications and downstream technologies and will be part of the selection committee, joining experts from partners that include Airbus, Thales, Hutchinson, Panasonic, Liebherr, Safran, and Air France-KLM.

“As connectivity is becoming a major subject in terms of new services, a growing number of startups 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,” said Francois Chopard, founder of Starburst Accelerator.

Starburst Accelerator provides young startups 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. The organization has initiated partnerships with university labs in Europe and is expanding this network in the United States.

“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,” said Jean-Hubert Lenotte, director of strategy of Eutelsat. “In domains where disruptive changes are taking place, teaming with startups fosters joint exploring of new approaches and spurs innovation.”