FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub Corporate Partners meet at NovaUCD ahead of APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing 2026

FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub Corporate Partners attended an engaging event hosted by NovaUCD – University College Dublin’s hub of innovation and startup-related activities on 9 June 2026 ahead of the co-located APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing events.

Following opening remarks from Ryan Ghee, Chief Operating Officer, Future Travel Experience, and Kevin Kleist, Head of Emerging Trends at Southwest Airlines and Head of Innovation & Startup Engagement at Future Travel Experience, the packed agenda began with a compelling presentation by Liam Cronin, Director of Innovation, University College Dublin (UCD). He shared a fascinating look ‘Behind the scenes of innovation at NovaUCD’, discussing how NovaUCD is catalysing industry innovation and growth. Cronin highlighted how NovaUCD provides a series of programmes for inventors and researchers to progress a great idea along a commercial pathway, identifying funding and attracting resources to create a high potential startup company.

The meeting continued with fascinating insights from Dr Brian Mac Namee, Co-Director, Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics; Professor, School of Computer Science, University College Dublin; and Director of Training, Krisolis Ltd. He shared a compelling presentation titled ‘Exploring the potential of AI today, tomorrow and into the future’.

A high-impact session followed, connecting FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub Corporate Partners with seven high-potential startups driving meaningful change across the air transport ecosystem. From digital workforce solutions and next-gen software engineering to sustainability innovation and energy optimisation, the agenda showcased practical technologies with real-world application potential for airlines and airports focused on passenger experience, operational efficiency and commercial performance. Corporate Partners heard compelling pitches from Recruitroo, Skippio, TisaLabs, Protostars, EnergyElephant, Binarii Labs, and Tao Climate.

The in-person format enabled deeper dialogue, candid feedback and meaningful connection – exactly what the FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub is designed to foster: accelerating innovation from early-stage breakthrough to industry deployment.

Read our full report on APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing 2026 here.