Runway.VC Podcast

On this episode, we talk with Paul Papadimitriou about a wide range of future pointing topics. We start off talking about how aviation companies are innovating, which airlines are shaking up the industry, and finish up talking about which countries are building models for future airports. Make sure you check out his podcast, Layovers on all podcasting apps. Check out the link to connect with him: Layovers Website: www.layovers.to Layovers Twitter: @lay_overs Paul’s Website: www.paulpapa.com Paul’s Twitter: @papadimitriou As always, we want to thank Bruno Misonne for our intro music. To listen to more of Bruno Misonne, check out his website for the full album: www.brunomisonne.com. As well as thank, Kutchins & Groh, an airport planning firm that specializes with capital planning and helping airport prepare for future development. Check out their website at: www.kutchins-groh.com.

This one is going to be another experimentation episode, so let us know what you think. On this episode, we try to give you an insight into the conversation that happens when people think about starting a company - specifically a regional airline company. Joining us for the conversation is Staacy Cannon, a former regional airline president who is using data and innovation to think about the future of airline travel. We talk a little bit about her experience over the past year running an airline right before and then throughout bankruptcy. But we really dive into how she would start a regional airline company and how it would operate, if she could take what she knew now and start over. As a listener warning: we make A LOT of assumptions and some of them may be flat wrong - but this is how this kind of conversation goes. We're thinking about doing a few follow ups to this episode in the future validating some of these episodes and seeing what could shake out. Let us know what you think. Check out Staacy online at: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CannonGroks LInkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/staacycannon/ Be sure to follow us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/runwayvc and visit our website: www.runway.vc As always, we want to thank Bruno Misonne for our intro music. To listen to more of Bruno Misonne, check out his website for the full album: www.brunomisonne.com. As well as thank, Kutchins & Groh, an airport planning firm that specializes with capital planning and helping airport prepare for future development. Check out their website at: www.kutchins-groh.com.

We're still experimenting with episode formats and this episode is no different. On this episode, we talk Shashank Nigam, Founder & CEO of SimpliFlying. Rather than our typical interview style, Shashank and I have a conversation that is more likely to be heard at a conference happy hour, rather than on conference stage. Our conversation circles around a hypothetical situation of an airline merging with a hotel chain and what each could bring to the table. However, we don't just leave it at an unnamed hotel chain - we're talking specifically about Airbnb (arguably the biggest hotel chain). We talk about which airlines would be a good match for an Airbnb partner, as well as end with our top pick. Check out Shashank online: Website: http://simpliflying.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/SimpliFlying Soar on Amazon: https://goo.gl/EWHedA Live Facebook Show: https://www.facebook.com/simpliflying/ Be sure to follow us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/runwayvc and visit our website: www.runway.vc As always, we want to thank Bruno Misonne for our intro music. To listen to more of Bruno Misonne, check out his website for the full album: www.brunomisonne.com. As well as thank, Kutchins & Groh, an airport planning firm that specializes with capital planning and helping airport prepare for future development. Check out their website at: www.kutchins-groh.com.

This is bit little different type of episode. Rather than the typical interview we’ve done with industry leaders and innovators, I invited Peter Slatin, founder of the Slatin Group, and Scott Gorence, an airport architect at Corgan, to discuss airport design specifically related to passengers with physical disabilities. During out conversation we talk about how the industry is involving to help those with physical disabilities, as well what airports could be doing better. We go further than just making sure people who may be deaf or blind can navigate an airport and talk about what the aging population will mean for airport design. We also address how people that may not need any assistance today, will need to be accommodated for when it’s not as easy for them to take all the steps needed to get around a large airport. Website: Slatin Group: www.slatingroup.com/ Corgan: www.corgan.com Twitter: Slatin Group: www.twitter.com/SlatinGroup Corgan: www.twitter.com/CorganInc Be sure to follow us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/runwayvc and visit our website: www.runway.vc As always, we want to thank Bruno Misonne for our intro music. To listen to more of Bruno Misonne, check out his website for the full album: www.brunomisonne.com. As well as thank, Kutchins & Groh, an airport planning firm that specializes with capital planning and helping airport prepare for future development. Check out their website at: www.kutchins-groh.com.

On this episode we’re talking with Krystal Brumfield, the CEO of the Airport Minority Advisory Council - or otherwise known as AMAC.  During our conversation, Krystal & I talk about a few different things - including her journey to become the head of AMAC, which actually doesn’t include any background in Aviation, and how she’s using that different background to bring a new perspective to industry issues. We also talk about how they are working with women & minority owned businesses to get them more involved with projects going on at airports, as well as the benefits those types of companies can bring to table and the challenges that they still face. Finally, we wrap up our conversation by talking about the role of industry organizations today and how they may be more relevant than ever.  Website: www.amac-org.com/ Twitter: www.twitter.com/AMAC_ORG Facebook: www.facebook.com/AirportMinorityAdvisoryCouncil/ Linkedin: https://goo.gl/UK5qRl Conference: www.amacbusinessdiversityconference.com/ Sign up for the Newsletter: https://goo.gl/b7Srlr Be sure to follow us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/runwayvc and our website: www.runway.vc As always, we want to thank Bruno Misonne for our intro music. To listen to more of Bruno Misonne, check out his website for the full album: www.brunomisonne.com. As well as thank, Kutchins & Groh, an airport planning firm that specializes with capital planning and helping airport prepare for future development. Check out their website at: www.kutchins-groh.com.

On this episode, we talk with Dawn Callahan - the CMO of Boingo. During our conversation, we talk about the history of Boingo and how they got into the business of airport wifi. We also talk about how they are working through aging infrastructure and growing traveler demands. Finally we wrap up talking about the future of airport connectivity and how they are preparing for the "always connected" traveler. For more information about Dawn & Boingo, check out the links below: Website: www.boingo.com/ Blog: www.boingo.com/blog Twitter: www.twitter.com/boingo Dawn on Twitter: www.twitter.com/dawncallahan Be sure to follow us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/runwayvc and our website: www.runway.vc As always, we want to thank Bruno Misonne for our intro music. To listen to more of Bruno Misonne, check out his website for the full album: www.brunomisonne.com/. As well as thank, Kutchins & Groh, an airport planning firm that specializes with capital planning and helping airport prepare for future development. Check out their website at: www.kutchins-groh.com.

On this episode of the Runway.VC podcast, we talk with Kerry Frank, the Founder and CEO of Comply 365 - a software company responsible for bringing airlines into the mobile age. Kerry and I talk about a number of different including: how she started a company in the industry with zero aviation or technical experience, the journey she wen through with her family and how they dealt with the struggles and celebrated the successes, and how she grew a business from only a few people to over 60 employees that works with 70% of the North American airlines. Finally, we wrap up our conversation talking about how Kerry sees the industry moving into using wearable technology and how airports need to start moving towards using a centralized management system. For more information about Comply365 and Kerry, check out the links below: Website: www.comply365.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/comply365 Kerry's Blog: www.kerryfrank.com Kerry on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kerryfrank365 Be sure to follow us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/runwayvc and our website: www.runway.vc As always, we want to thank Bruno Misonne for our intro music. To listen to more of Bruno Misonne, check out his website for the full album: www.brunomisonne.com/. As well as thank, Kutchins & Groh, an airport planning firm that specializes with capital planning and helping airport prepare for future development. Check out their website at: www.kutchins-groh.com.

On this episode, we host Brendan McCord and Chris McLaughlin from Evolv Technologies - a startup that is bringing Artificial Intelligence into airport security. I met Brendan back in October at the AAAE Innovation Forum where I heard him pitch Evolv to the audience. Their approach to improving security at airports is a practical approach that uses AI to supplement human involvement rather than replace it. While there are plenty of companies claiming to use AI in different industries, I was interested in Evolv because they are not a company using “AI” as a buzzword but putting it to use. This conversation is a little bit long, but we get into some great topics and dive deep into what using AI means not just from a safety stand point, but also from a privacy standpoint. We also talk about how to get in front any inherent bias from the AI’s code. Finally, we wrap up our conversation talking about what the future of security looks like, how to protect ourselves against unforeseen threats, and, of course, recommendations for airports looking to build new terminal or renovate old ones for making sure the security area is ready to adapt. For more information about Evolv Technology, check out the links below: Website: http://evolvtechnology.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EvolvTechnology Facebook: https://goo.gl/9IGQ31 Brendan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mbrendan1 As always, we want to thank Bruno Misonne for our intro music. To listen to more of Bruno Misonne, check out his website for the full album: http://www.brunomisonne.com/

Baraki Brock is a Senior Director of Business Operations and Airports Policy Manager at Lyft. On this episode, we talk with Baraki about the history Lyft has had working with airports, its rocky start, and how he and the rest of his team is working to not only improve their relationships, but also help airports position themselves for the future. Baraki goes into detail about the process Lyft goes through before they offer service to an airport, as well as some of the roadblocks they face and simple solutions to over come them. Finally, we talk about the future of ride sharing and what impact driverless cars might have on airports. For more information about Lyft’s airport operations and the other links we bring up during our conversation, check out the links below: Airport Ride - Lyft: http://take.lyft.com/airports/ Lyft Vision for Driverless Cars: https://goo.gl/CnzpBK Left + Jet Blue Partnership: http://blog.lyft.com/posts/lyft-and-jetblue Baraki on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bakari As always, we want to thank Bruno Misonne for our intro music. To listen to more of Bruno Misonne, check out his website for the full album: http://www.brunomisonne.com/

Chris Runde is the Director of the AAAE Airport Innovation Accelerator, an accelerator program designed to connect aviation related startup companies with airports and other industry organizations. In this episode, we talk with Chris about how airports are adapting to the evolving industry and more connected passengers. We also talk why airports are historically slow to adapt and what holds them back. He goes into detail about the qualities certain airports have that make them more prepare for change then others. Finally, Chris talks about the Airport Innovation Forum AAAE is hosting on Oct. 11 in San Jose. For more information about AAAE's Airport Innovation Accelerator and the Airport Innovation Forum, check out the links below: Airport Innovation Accelerator: www.airportinnovation.org Airport Innovation Forum: http://www.aaae.org/aaae/AAAEMemberResponsive/Events/2016/10/161011/CCO_Master.aspx?WebsiteKey=248f34ca-d8f1-4b27-8629-938436b29db6 To listen to more of Bruno Misonne, check out his website for the full album: brunomisonne.com/

This is part 2 of the 2 part series with the Founder & CEO of GLO Airlines. In this episode, we sit down with Trey and learn about his motivation for starting a regional airline and the journey he has been on over the past few years, including the time he didn't think he was ever going to take off. He also talks about challenges he never expected and why he's not worried about the big airlines putting him out of business. Website Links: GLO Airlines: www.flyglo.com/ GLO on Twitter: twitter.com/FlyGLO To listen to more of Bruno Misonne, check out his website for the full album: brunomisonne.com/

This episode is the first part of a 2 part series featuring Trey Fayard, the CEO and Founder of GLO Airlines. Part 1 features the audio from a presentation Trey gave to the Loyola Center for Entrepreneurship and Community Development’s Innovation Speaker Series. During the presentation, Trey talks about founding GLO, the state of current operations, and the trials and tribulations he's faced through an airline startup. Website Links: Loyola's Center for Entrepreneurship and Community Development: http://www.business.loyno.edu/center-entrepreneurship-and-community-development GLO Airlines: http://www.flyglo.com/ GLO on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FlyGLO To listen to more of Bruno Misonne, check out his website for the full album: http://brunomisonne.com/

Van Espahbodi is a partner and co-founder of Starburst Accelerator, a business development, a startup incubator dedicated to technology in aerospace where leaders gather to decide the future of aviation. In this episode, we talk with Van about what it takes to invest in an aviation startup and what startups are shaking things up. We go past talking about the next "Uber of ..." and into what it means to push the barriers in aviation, despite heavy regulations. Van also gives out his advice on how to shake up the industry. As well as, speaks to students and young professionals about potential ways to get involved and make the most impact. For more information about Van and Starburst Accelerator, check out the links below: Twitter - Van Espahbodi: https://twitter.com/vdadmahi Twitter - Starburst Accelerator: https://twitter.com/starburstinnov Website - Starburst Accelerator: http://starburstaccelerator.com/

On this episode, we talk with Mario Rodriguez, who’s the Executive director of the Indianapolis Airport Authority. During the conversation, we talk about the future of airports and what directors should be doing to better position their airports as the doorway to their cities. We also talk about the adoption of new technology at airports and how airports can build a culture that’s not afraid to fail. If you want to see the Airport's newly designed website, check out: http://indianapolisairport.com/ For more information about the airport, follow them on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/INDairport And if you want to follow Mario and learn more about his work as the Executive Director, you can follow him at: https://twitter.com/execdirind

On this episode we’d talk to Dave Brody and Charlie Johnson, 2 industry experts turned disruptors. Dave is the current founder and Chairman of a new company XTI Aircraft and Charlie is currently serving as the company’s CEO. Both have extensive experience leading the industry, Dave as the former founder of another aviation company called AVX Aircraft and Charlie as the former president & COO of Cessna. During the conversation, we talked about their journeys through the aviation industry and what the experience is like leading a startup in the industry today. Through their stories, they go into detail what it’s like to start a company in today’s industry and the challenges they faced. Finally, they talk about the new innovative way they are raising money to help them accomplish their mission and what it could mean for future startups in high capital arenas. For more information about XTI Aircraft, check out their website: www.xtiaircraft.com. For more information about their funding campaign, check out: https://www.startengine.com/startup/xti

Benét Wilson is an aviation travel journalist and the Air Travel Expert for About.com and contributing writer for the Runway Girl Network. During this episode, we talk about her experiences as a woman covering the aviation industry, as well as what it means for a company today to be diverse. We go beyond the importance of “filling a quota” and dive into the benefits of bringing a different view to a project. Finally, we go social with social media and how it’s going to impact the future of the industry. For more information about Benét, check out her website at www.aviationqueen.com or on Twitter at @AvQueenBenet.