Fiumicino, 1 June 2023 - A significant day in terms of innovation for Aeroporti di Roma, which for the second year running has won the "Corporate Innovation Award", an accolade assigned by Plug and Play, one of Silicon Valley's largest Venture Capital operators, as the best global corporate partner in the Travel & Hospitality sector, for its commitment to promoting open innovation initiatives and building "the airport of the future".

The award, received by Aeroporti di Roma's Innovation team during the "Travel & Smart Cities EXPO" in Vienna, comes on top of the announcement of the first investment by ADR Ventures, Aeroporti di Roma's new corporate venture capital vehicle, with Ottonomy, a leading US start-up in the deep tech sector, which provides contactless deliveries using fully autonomous robots.

Following the successful feasibility test developed during the acceleration programme in FCO's Innovation HUB, the autonomous delivery project has become part of ADR's long-term strategy to maintain the highest service levels and improve the passenger experience using cutting-edge technologies and innovations.

"ADR Ventures' first investment is another step towards building the airport of the future, which will be more autonomous and passenger-centric. These are two characteristics we have found in Ottonomy, both in terms of team and technology. We look forward to a great future together. We believe this partnership will open up new opportunities in the industry and help transform the traveller experience at airports around the world," said Emanuele Calà, CEO of ADR Ventures and Vice President Innovation & Quality at ADR.

Rome International Airport has collaborated with important corporate and strategic partners, first of all Plug & Play Tech Center, in the development of "Runway to the future", an acceleration programme set in Fiumicino Airport's Innovation Hub, the first industrial accelerator in the heart of an airport.

Aeroporti di Roma's Open Innovation Programme focuses on the selection of international startups and aims at joint development for up to 8 months within the Innovation Hub, giving startups the opportunity to develop a PoC within the airport and unlock a complete roll-out solution.

ADR Ventures proposes to offer further support to start-ups, investing in their ideas not only in economic terms, but also in terms of know-how and skills, encouraging the development and growth of new companies and entrepreneurs to accompany the digital transformation of the sector. This is the first initiative of its kind in the air transport sector in Italy, aimed at financing the development of projects in sectors with high innovation potential, in synergy with the airport's operational and strategic needs. ADR Ventures operates as an engine for the development of young entrepreneurship, providing support to the most virtuous and prospective start-ups, accompanying them in the integration with the business and in the management of investment processes, accelerating the process of business growth and the commercialisation of the innovative solution devised.

Ottonomy, selected through ADR's first Call 4 Ideas, participated in the acceleration programme starting in September 2022, and offered a service to travellers through autonomous delivery, carried out directly at boarding gates.

During the PoC, Ottonomy was able to achieve the following KPIs at Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci International Airport:

• + 150 km travelled in the Terminals by Ottobots robots
• Zero accidents at the airport
• + 300 customers used the service
• 3 minutes delivery time on average

"We are honoured to continue working with ADR Ventures and the Innovation Hub to improve impact and make the passenger experience smoother through technology," said Ritukar Vijay, CEO of Ottonomy. "ADR is truly committed to being a leader in innovation and delivering excellence and new experiences to its customers. This partnership is at the forefront of the future of the travel experience for customers around the world."

Today, Ottonomy joined ADR's innovation team at Plug and Play's Travel & Hospitality & Smart Cities EXPO Day  in Vienna to discuss the recent launch of ADR Ventures and how innovation and cutting-edge technologies are redefining the passenger experience; in this context, Ottobot was also shown in action.

Discover the ADR Innovation programme at www.adr.it/innovation and ADR Ventures at www.adrventures.it

Ottonomy

Ottonomy.IO is a deep tech start-up that provides contactless deliveries using fully autonomous robots. Its main goal is to help organisations from different industries automate contactless deliveries in indoor and outdoor environments. Ottonomy was recognised as one of the top 50 robotics companies worldwide in 2021 by Robotics Business Review and won the Sustainability Product of the Year Award for 2021 by Business Intelligence Group.