Aiir Innovations, an artificial intelligence startup for the visual inspection of aircraft engines, has raised €2.1M. In addition to lead investor Borski Fund, HearstLab Europe and existing shareholder Mainport Innovation Fund participated in this round.
Aiir Innovations was founded in 2016 by a group of AI students from the University of Amsterdam and is now a leader in the aviation software market. The company collaborates with firms such as KLM Airlines, Waygate Technologies, and MTU Leasing Services. Recently, Aiir Innovations was selected for the Boeing-backed Aerospace Xelerated program and won the Lufthansa Technik Philippines Startup Challenge.
CTO and co-founder Miriam Huijser:
‘A complete and objective inspection of jet engines is essential to guarantee the safety and efficiency of aircraft. Aiir achieves this by actively supporting human inspectors in all aspects of their work: from managing reporting requirements to an AI assistant for detecting potentially missed defects. With its software, Aiir Innovations supports inspections throughout the entire engine lifecycle, during maintenance, lease transitions, and more.’
Simone Brummelhuis, Fund Director of Borski Fund:
‘We are delighted to announce our investment in Aiir. This new investment testifies to our belief in Aiir’s potential to drive innovation and progress in this field, and to our commitment to supporting diversity in the companies we invest in.’
Aiir Innovations will use the investment to grow its remote-first team, expand globally, and set a new standard for engine inspections. With HearstLab Europe co-investing, this American investor can bridge the gap for Aiir Innovations’ international ambitions.
Eve Burton, Executive Vice President of Hearst Corporation and Chair of HearstLab:
‘The importance of Aiir’s potential contribution to global aviation safety cannot be understated, and we are honored to join them on that journey. As an investor focused on women-led startups, we were particularly attracted to Aiir because of the strong presence of female leadership on the technology and product side with deep AI knowledge and experience. We were especially impressed by Aiir’s management team and the product offering they have brought to market in a relatively short period.’
