World Aviation Festival Announces Finalists for Start-Up Competition

World Aviation Festival (WAF), one of the industry’s leading global gatherings for airlines, airports, and travel technology, has announced the five finalists for its highly anticipated Start-up Pitch Competition. The live final will take place on 7th October at 15:50 on the main stage at the FIL Lisbon conference centre.

The competition, a highlight of the Festival’s Start-up Village initiative, provides a platform for early-stage disruptors to showcase their innovations to more than 4,500 senior executives from across aviation and travel. Each finalist will pitch their solution to a panel of industry leaders and investors, competing for recognition as one of aviation’s most promising new ventures.

The 2025 finalists are:

• Arcube – Developing modular, sustainable infrastructure solutions designed to help airports and airlines scale operations more efficiently

• Ganiga.ai – Harnessing artificial intelligence to optimise airline operations, from predictive maintenance to smarter scheduling

• Acai Travel – A next-generation travel platform focused on personalised, sustainable trip planning and seamless booking experiences

• Modifly – Enabling dynamic, customer-driven ticketing and ancillary services, giving travellers more flexibility while boosting airline revenues

• FlightMinds – Leveraging data and machine learning to improve flight planning, reduce fuel burn, and support decarbonisation goals

Now in its latest edition, the Start-up Pitch Competition has become a launchpad for aviation’s most exciting innovators. Last year’s finalists included firms tackling accessibility, blockchain, and AI-driven pricing. Judged by a panel of industry executives, the competition highlights businesses with the potential to shake-up the aviation industry.

The judging panel for 2025 includes:

• Suzanna Chiu, Head of Amadeus Ventures, Amadeus

• Martin Beitia, Head of Innovation, Design and Research, Iberia

• Dee Waddell, Global Managing Director, Travel and Transportation Industries, IBM

• Cara Whitehill, Operating Partner, Thayer Investment Partners

• Nik Munaretto, Managing Director, Austria, Plug and Play Ventures

• Tedd Evers, Global Partner Leader, Travel & Hospitality, AWS

• Irra Ariella Khi, Chief Executive Officer, Zamna

“Innovation drives everything we do at the Festival, and the Start-up Village is where the industry’s future takes shape,” said Daniel Boyle, General Manager of Transport at WAF organiser Terrapinn. “This year’s finalists are tackling some of aviation’s most pressing challenges, from sustainability to passenger experience, and we’re excited to see them pitch live in Lisbon.”

The World Aviation Festival runs from 7th-9th October 2025 at FIL Lisbon, bringing together global leaders from airlines, airports, and travel technology providers for three days of keynotes, panels, and networking.