Established in 2024, the All Nippon Airways (ANA) Future Frontier Fund is among the first airline venture capital funds of its kind in Asia. ANA join other carriers including United, IAG, and IndiGo in establishing an innovation arm to connect with startups and get ahead of emerging technologies.
At Aviation Festival Asia 2026, we sat down with Ko Yamada, the fund’s director, to learn more about the initiative and which developments he thinks will have the biggest impact on aviation. Controlling US$55 million in capital, Yamada sees real value in connecting one of the world’s largest airlines with early-stage companies. While ANA can support startups through their extensive knowledge and customer bases, startups can strenghten airlines by moving with the agility and speed that many airlines lack.
It’s not really just about writing a check; it’s about providing startups with a real business environment that could they could use to test things.
The Future Frontier Fund’s brief covers a range of disruptive technology, from AI and robotics to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). One area that Yamada is especially interested in is understanding customer behaviour, especially with ANA’s 40 million loyalty customers. Knowing why passengers book certain flights or which payment methods they prefer will be key in providing a hyper-personalised experience that keeps them engaged even when they exit the plane.
We want to harness the power of AI to really understand the customers individually, but also provide a customised, seamless experience.
When deciding which startups to invest in, the Future Frontier Fund considers strategic priorities and market size, but also the founders’ backgrounds in hardware and software. In the future, Yamada wants to build a full innovation portfolio to expand ANA’s core business and ultimately create a more resilient airline operation.
We urge startups to knock on our doors because we’re always open for discussions.
🎥 Watch the video to hear the full interview with Ko Yamada.
Questions asked include:
- Why is it important for airlines to invest in developing technologies and startups
- What areas of innovation are you most keen to explore at the moment?
- What qualities do startups need to have for you to get excited about investing?
- What are your goals for the Fund in the future?
ANA Future Frontier Fund were an Innovation Partner of Aviation Festival Asia 2026. Join us in Bangkok in 2027.
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