"Just Fly, We’ll Handle the Rest" : Interview With Startups of the Year Nominee, Vertiports Network

Hey Hackers,

Vertiports Network has been nominated in HackerNoon's annual Startups of the Year awards in Spain Misc, as an Aerospace Tech startup.

Please vote for us here: https://startups.hackernoon.com/europe/europe-spain

Read more about us below to understand why we deserve your vote.

Meet Vertiports Network

In Vertiports Network we are developing Vertiports Network OS (or, as we like to call it, VENETOS) to rule and manage complex air mobility operations.

We have started with an advanced air mobility digital twin, centered on air operations management. Then, we will move to the ground segment and ground operations (vertiports) including availability, energy management, weather and forecasting, security, comms, payments, etc.

We want our final users (passengers) to just fly, and we will take care of the rest.

How We're Disrupting/Improving the Software Development Industry

We are leveraging software to find a solution to manage urban air mobility complex scenarios. By integrating different technologies (like video game engines, advanced communications protocols, IoT systems, etc), we are customizing a new solution for vertiports and advanced air mobility management.

Main urban air mobility companies have started from asset and aircraft (EVTOLs) designs.

We believe in software as the main core needed to solve this complexity.

We have designed a software solution to manage advanced air mobility, and we will move forward to integrate infrastructure assets (vertiports), EVTOLs (aircrafts), energy management systems, and so on.

We are applying an operating system approach to a different ecosystem: instead of laptops or smartphones, we are using infrastructure and vertiports. Then, different applications could be built on top, such as apps for smartphones.

Standing Out from The Crowd

We are taking a holistic approach, leveraging software design and architecture. In contrast to other ATM (Air Traffic Management) software companies, we are integrating the rest of the elements of advanced air mobility operations. This goes from EVTOLs management to vertiports network, digital twins, passenger fly reservations, payments…

As Apple did with their hardware, we are working on our own vertiport design as well! It will be natively integrated into VENETOS. Network-related processes are exponentially more complex than a single-base approach (one airport with multiple operations in the same place vs several and distributed airports with parallel operations).

A commonly distributed layer is required, and VENETOS is our solution.

Our Predictions/Thoughts on the Software Development Industry in 2023

1. What emerging trends or technologies do you think will have the biggest impact on software development in 2023?

   Generative AI has gained significant popularity in recent weeks, primarily through user-based applications. However, there is now a growing emergence of custom-made solutions. This development has a positive outcome as it helps to familiarize a large number of people with AI technology.

   Once they find that tools like ChatGPT are no longer enough, they will get into other kinds of AI algorithms and models, helping the AI industry flourish.

   We use several AI modules in VENETOS, like the path planning and navigation engine. These kinds of applications will be standardized.

2. Do you think remote work will continue to be a prevalent trend in the software development industry in 2023 and 2024?

   Definitely! Although in-person work has some advantages related to problem-solving or innovation, well-managed software teams are more competitive when they work in comfortable environments.

   1. Why or why not?

      We have seen several layoffs in the industry. Software engineers and developers normally work on very complex problems. They require stressless environments. Some companies understood how it goes, they learned how to manage those remote teams and now they are attracting more talent.

      The companies that don’t understand it will probably lose their teams against other players, making them less competitive.

3. How do you think the demand for software developers will change in 2023?

   a. Will there be a shortage or surplus of skilled workers?

   Although it seems like there is a surplus of software engineers and developers, mainly because of layoffs and the new AI-based tools, we think it is just a smoke-and-mirrors effect. More than ever, skilled software engineers and designers are needed (as mentioned above, there is going to be a growing demand for AI software designers in the near future).

   Finding those talented workers, especially in countries like Spain, is not an easy task and it will get more difficult as they will move where they are more valued.

4. What company or institution will have the most impact on the industry in 2023?

   Pushed by current and future AI requirements, we think Nvidia will be the company that will impact the industry the most.

What word defines the state of Software Development in 2023?

Three: Customized Artificial Intelligence, 😃.

Why we decided to participate in HackerNoon's Startup of the Year awards

Actually, our nomination came out of the blue! We are quite happy and it made us push our work harder. It was extremely motivating for our team!

Final Thoughts

We are really pleased to be nominated. We are focusing on pushing urban air mobility software to new heights, and this nomination was the turning point that we needed.

Thank you very much HackerNoon for the nomination!