Boeing enters venture capital
Boeing announced their new venture capital division, HorizonX, this week. They have already invested in several companies:
[HorizonX] invested in Upskill, a Washington, D.C.-based software company that uses Google Glass-type eye wear to help assembly workers complete complex tasks such as creating wiring bundles for Boeing jetliners.
[HorizonX] also invested in Zunum Aero, a Seattle-area company that is working on electric-hybrid aircraft aimed at bringing down the cost of flying to regional airports.
I read in another article (article 2 below) that HorizonX will be joining with JetBlue Airways venture capital group on the Zunum Aero investment:
Zunum Chief Executive Ashish Kumar said in an interview he expects to test fly the first complete plane within two years and to put planes into service in the early 2020s... The first jet, featuring Tesla-style lithium ion batteries in the wings and a small turbo engine at the tail end, will be certified to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) standard for planes carrying a maximum of 19 passengers.
Thoughts?
