JetBlue Launches JetBlue Technology Ventures in Silicon Valley to Shape the Future Travel Experience
February 11 2016 - 6:00AM
Business Wire
Sixteen Years After Creating a Customer-Focused
Startup Airline, JetBlue Forms First U.S. Airline-Backed Venture
Capital Subsidiary for Next Generation of Travel Startups
On the day JetBlue celebrates the 16th anniversary of its first
flight, JetBlue (NASDAQ:JBLU) today announced the launch of JetBlue
Technology Ventures, a wholly owned subsidiary that will invest in,
incubate and partner with early stage startups at the intersection
of technology, travel and hospitality. As the first corporate
venture capital subsidiary in Silicon Valley backed by a U.S.
airline, JetBlue Technology Ventures will operate from the GSVlabs
campus in the heart of Silicon Valley.
By partnering with incubators, venture capital firms,
universities and other organizations inside and outside Silicon
Valley, JetBlue Technology Ventures will build relationships with a
range of startups across the travel and hospitality spectrum. The
initiative will serve as a launch pad for innovations that improve
customer and crewmember experiences, increase the airline’s
operational efficiency and expand the JetBlue brand to new
markets.
Bonny Simi will serve as president of the subsidiary, reporting
to Eash Sundaram, executive vice president and chief information
officer of JetBlue. As head of the JetBlue Technology Ventures
oversight/advisory committee, Sundaram will lead and shape the
strategic direction of the subsidiary, and will also facilitate
integration of successful startup programs into JetBlue’s overall
corporate innovation and technology initiatives. Simi is a JetBlue
pilot and officer with over a decade of leadership experience
holding talent, customer experience and other roles within the
airline, and over 25 years in the airline industry. Simi also has
deep roots in the Silicon Valley community as a graduate of both
the Stanford Business and Engineering schools.
“Innovation has always been part of JetBlue’s DNA, and JetBlue
Technology Ventures builds on our history of staying a step ahead
of the status quo,” said Bonny Simi, president of JetBlue
Technology Ventures. “We will be casting a wide net to find
technologies across the travel spectrum that further the award
winning customer-focused experience we are known for.”
JetBlue, founded in 2000 with the mission of bringing humanity
back to air travel, has launched a number of firsts in the airline
industry. It instantly became known for free satellite television
at every seat, an innovation it continues to improve on today. It
was the first airline to incorporate new technology to power
at-home call centers for customer support. More recently, it was
the first airline to launch free high-speed wireless Internet and
streaming video inflight, and has installed Next-Gen navigations
systems in its fleet to improve the efficiency of flying.
“The work being done today in the startup community will define
travel for years to come,” said Simi. “We can offer our knowledge
and resources to bring early-stage ideas to life. We won’t limit
our thinking to traditional airline operations, and instead
consider possibilities at every stage in the travel
experience.”
About JetBlue Technology Ventures
Located in the startup incubator GSVLabs in Redwood City,
Calif., JetBlue Technology Ventures will invest in, incubate and
partner with early stage startups at the intersection of
technology, travel and hospitality. For more information, including
upcoming events and how to request review of potential startup
ideas, please visit www.JetBlueVentures.com
About JetBlue
JetBlue is New York's Hometown Airline™, and a leading
carrier in Boston, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, Los
Angeles (Long Beach), Orlando, and San Juan. JetBlue carries
more than 35 million customers a year to 95 cities in the
U.S., Caribbean, and Latin America with an average
of 900 daily flights. For more information please
visit JetBlue.com.
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