Velocity Ventures

We get up in the morning to make a difference in ventures that leverage technology in unexplored high impact areas of Travel, Commerce and F&B. When it comes to tech innovation - we’ve founded divisions, advised, introduced tech solutions, supported, and managed funds for some of the world’s industry leaders. A selection of previous investments: 30secondstofly (Acquired, American Express GBT), AeroCRS (Acquired, 777 Partners) Quicklizard (IPO TASE:QLRD), Routier (Acquired, accesiBe), Collider Ventures I, Holisto, Acai Travel, Reeco, among others.

The Branded Group is a seed and series A venture and solutions oriented investment, advisory and accelerator platform that leverages its network of hospitality venues, deep expertise and experience to identify, test and invest in Hospitality Technology "HI-Tech", Innovation, Emerging Concepts & Unique Food & Beverage "UF&B". We focus on companies that are hospitality-centric and addressing the most important issues and challenges facing the industry.

Amadeus Ventures was born in 2014 as a strategic vehicle to drive collaboration with the startup ecosystem. Since then, we have introduced more than 250 startups to our business units and we have developed more than 30 joint projects with our portfolio companies. Our portfolio continues to grow by 3 – 5 companies every year. Amadeus Ventures is a startup investment program where we look for both strategic value and financial returns in all of our investments. Portfolio companies gain access to our extensive global network, industry know-how and technology. They will have opportunities to attend selected customer events, represent Amadeus in startup competitions and exchange ideas with our industry and solution experts. While business potential and financial viability are important factors to consider when making investment decisions, equally we emphasize close commercial relationships with the companies we invest in. For each investment case, we identify collaboration opportunities that are mutually beneficial for Amadeus Ventures and the startup. We look for entrepreneurs who are passionate about what they do, and together we deliver next generation technology that improves the travel experience of business and leisure travellers. Our focus We want to create better traveler experiences by solving pain points of the traveler journey either through our customers or directly. We look for startups with new value proposition and currently working with airlines, airports, hotels or travel intermediaries. Investment Criteria & Process Amadeus Ventures invests in startups with scalable business ideas, solid financial potential and exceptional teams. Amadeus Ventures is a venture fund whose aim is to encourage and nurture innovation applicable to the travel industry. By doing so we look for: Startups in an early stage of development: Companies that are working on ideas, business models and technologies with the potential to disrupt and impact the travel industry. We look for companies who have crystalized their business concept into product prototypes that are used by trend-setting customers. Talented teams: Talented teams who have the combination of business and technology knowledge and track record to execute. Ideas that shape the future of travel: Ideas that shape the future of travel which are scalable and sustainable. We look for businesses with a solid revenue model and clearly identifiable path to profitability. Direction of the company: Direction of the company in alignment with the overall Amadeus strategy. We look for tight relationships with our portfolio companies to help bring strategic value both to Amadeus and the start-up entity.

Since 2014, Rockaway Ventures has been investing in areas where the Rockaway Capital group has deep expertise, primarily in retail and e-commerce, travel & hospitality, digital logistics, digital media, cybersecurity, defence, CleanTech, and PropTech. The goal of the Rockaway Ventures fund is to support startups with proven traction in the late seed or Series A stage, both in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Western European countries. We’re dedicated to supporting exceptional founders in disrupting traditional industries through digital innovation and transformation. If you are an innovative, enthusiastic founder looking for a partner to help take your startup to the next level, we’d love to hear from you.

A 35,000-foot view of travel industry innovation. What we do It’s simple. We invest in and partner with early-stage startups improving the travel, hospitality, and transportation industries. We’ve taken JetBlue’s original mission to bring humanity back to travel and are expanding it on an unprecedented scale – we want to improve the end-to-end experience for travelers everywhere, whether they’re flying or not. And we believe that partnering with game-changing technology companies is a great way to do it. Why we excel As you’d expect, we have a deep expertise in aviation, but our team also specializes in hospitality, regional and ground transportation, and more. In short, we’re travel geeks and could spend hours talking your ear off about the latest developments in predictive maintenance, machine learning, and electric propulsion for the industry. Combine that with our focus on helping turn good startups into great ones, and you’ve got our recipe for success. How we help Of course, we provide funding to promising startups, but we do so much more than that. We give steady guidance, make connections to industry power players, provide proof-of-concept opportunities, and, in some cases, incubate startups in our own Silicon Valley office. What’s next Some of the companies we work with are disrupting travel for the better. Others might take a few more years to make their vision a reality, but it’ll be worth the wait. As travel industry veterans and venture capitalists, we know the value of looking beyond the horizon. You just can’t beat the view. So tell us, how can we help you?

Investing in early stage, transformational, early software innovators who are delivering solutions that will shape the next era of business, harmonizing machine and human capability to drive increased sales, reduce costs, or deliver innovative user experiences. Our Focus Areas There are 6 key themes that we expect to shape the future of AI in the enterprise: Knowledge Assembly Line - Human and machine working together in concert to "manufacture" knowledge products Next Generation of User Experience - Using voice and language-based commands to interact with software and systems Digitization of the Physical - Algorithms and approaches that replicate and understand complex natural processes and systems Truly Smart Devices - Devices that enable real-time intelligence from sensors and robotics Novel Computational Approaches - New methods of training AI that reduce the amount of data or computation to achieve results Accessibility of Machine Intelligence - Platforms and tools that increase the accessibility of artificial intelligence in the enterprise How They Use AI We have 6 specific categories of AI implementation that we expect from companies: Process Automation - Automation of digital and physical tasks Cognitive Insights - Interpreting patterns in large amounts of data Cognitive Engagement - Interacting with customers & employees Data Collection - Systems that collect clean, structured data that enables the creation of novel AI and ML models AI Tools - Software that simplifies the development and delivery of AI and ML systems Generative - Software that creates text, images, or video automatically in response to an input Company Characteristics We Expect In order to be considered for investment, all companies must meet the following basic criteria: Deliver one of the 6 core AI modalities Sells to businesses, not consumers Have a full product ready and completed at least one commercial pilot One or more founders has experience in the target market Has a capital efficient business model The product is a need, not a nice to have Is based in the US or Canada, with specific preferences for Texas Industries Sentiero invests in any industry where at least one partner or advisor has experience as founders, operators, or investors. This means we invest across 27+ industries but have the deepest expertise in the following: Business Services & Consulting Marketing & Advertising Software Healthcare IT Real Estate Retailing & Distribution Internet & Web Services Sports, Media, & Entertainment Sales Management & CRM Financial Services / Fintech Travel