EasyJet Tightens Its Relationship With Travel Startups
Photo Credit: Bala Chandran and Hamsa Balakrishnan are co-founders of Flightsayer, a travel technology startup that has been accepted into the Founders Factory accelerator program, which is backed by easyJet. Founders Factory
Skift Take
We keep waiting for conclusive proof that accelerators aren't just kindergartens for entrepreneurs. But the early word from easyJet and Founders Factory is upbeat.
About 15 months ago, easyJet took a stake in the Founders Factory "incubator and accelerator," a half-year boot camp on how entreprenuers can take early-stage businesses to the next stage.
The UK-based airline agreed to make an undisclosed, "multi-million pound" investment over five years in the London accelerator.
On Wednesday Founders Factory revealed the next travel startups it has accepted: WeTrip, a group travel booking startup based in Tel Aviv; Car and Away, a UK-based peer-to-peer car sharing community that has a focus on airports; FlightSayer, a Boston-based startup that predicts flight delays and has received a $1.75 million grant from NASA for its technology, and TrustedHousesitters, an international pet care network.
First Graduating Class
Last spring, two travel startups joined: Flio, a mobile app for navigating airports worldwide, and LuckyTrip, a budget-based itinerary recommendation service.
"We're currently working with both LuckyTrip and Flio to integrate p
