These innovators are accelerating the aviation industry’s transition to net-zero

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum.

Author: Gianluca Gygax, Impact Lead, Uplink, 1t.org

• Aviation accounts for 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions and, with air travel projected to increase, these emissions are poised to escalate.
• The Sustainable Aviation Challenge on UpLink called for innovators who accelerate the development and adoption of sustainable aviation fuel and other propulsion solutions.
• 16 Top Innovators were selected as winners and will gain visibility opportunities, special event invitations and curated introductions to industry partners and potential funders.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), aviation accounts for 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions and with air travel projected to increase over this decade, these emissions are only poised to climb. The challenge is to reinvent flying and make it compatible with our global net-zero emissions targets. Decarbonizing aviation is one of the toughest challenges of the clean energy transition and one that will require many technological breakthroughs and a concerted effort by innovators, industry, governments, and finance providers.

To accelerate and support the transformation of aviation and expedite its journey to net-zero, UpLink and the First Movers Coalition have launched the Sustainable Aviation Innovation Challenge to identify and accelerate the most innovative and promising start-ups in this sector. With 130 high-quality submissions received from around the globe, 16 Top Innovators were selected by industry partners to join the UpLink Innovation Ecosystem.

To this end, we’re excited to announce the cohort of Sustainable Aviation Top Innovators to accelerate the development and adoption of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and other propulsion solutions, with the broader vision of enhancing the viability of promising start-ups in this space. Innovation ignites the spark, but collaboration fuels progress. These 16 innovators are now plugged into World Economic Forum formal programming and a support ecosystem of industry partners and investors to scale up their ventures through business and technology collaborations.

Here are the 16 UpLink Top Innovators of the Sustainable Aviation Challenge

Air Companyis engineering scalable, modular technology that helps industries reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Their AIRMADE™ System is an advanced carbon conversion technology solution that transforms CO2 into an endless resource that can be used as a 100% drop-in fuel.

Ampaireisthe leader in hybrid-electric aviation with over 17,500 miles flown across their fleet and are poised to be one of the first to reach mass market with hybrid-electric technology.

Azzerais creating a B2B Software-as-a-Service platform that allows aviation companies and governments to effortlessly get started in emissions management.

Beyond Aerois unlocking the potential with hydrogen propulsion aircrafts. They are forging a path by making the first certifiable and profitable electric aircraft designed for hydrogen propulsion.

Cemvita’seCO2™ takes waste streams and carbon dioxide and uses them to produce valuable materials like proteins, plastics, and fuel feedstock through harnessing micro-biology.

HyFlux’spropulsion solution makes use of cryogenic motors, delivering unprecedented aircraft propulsion performance and sustainability with a proven track record, with four times the power density motor of today’s technology.

H3Xdevelops the most advanced electric motors in the world to enable sustainable aviation and decarbonize the marine and industrial sectors.

Ineratec GmbH: is a pioneer in the field of e-fuels and Power-to-Liquid applications. They recycle CO2 and use green hydrogen to produce climate-neutral e-fuels and chemicals for transportation and the chemical industry.

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Infinium’selectrofuels process combines proven, established technologies with innovative processes and proprietary catalysts and reactors for the unique production of liquid fuels and chemicals.

Spark e-Fuelsisdeveloping integrated e-fuel SAF plants that can be directly connected to lowest-cost renewable electricity.

Sylphaero: is developing a first-of-its kind electrified jet engine where there is no fuel combustion to heat the air, meaning there are no CO2 emissions despite still relying on thermodynamics to generate thrust.

Synhelion SAis a clean energy company that has developed a unique technology to produce sustainable solar fuels from solar energy. Synhelion contributes to a net-zero transportation sector by replacing fossil fuels with carbon-neutral solar fuels.

Twelvemakes the world’s most critical chemicals, materials and fuels from air with their revolutionary carbon transformation technology.

VerdeGo Aerois creating power and propulsion technologies that enable our customers to develop high-performance, reliable, electric aircraft.

Vernesolves the critical challenge of hydrogen densification and storage, providing a way to store hydrogen in the highest-density state while avoiding the challenges and costs of liquid hydrogen.

Viridosis decarbonizing heavy transportation with algae biofuel. They’ve optimized microalgae’s ability to produce oil for biofuel to levels never before achieved.

Do you want to offer help to one of the Innovators? Join UpLink now.