{"id":45739,"date":"2023-10-20T15:46:03","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:46:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/startupsmart.test\/2023\/10\/20\/how-a-melbourne-co-working-space-helped-inspire-a-startup-set-to-disrupt-the-aviation-industry-with-flights-of-fancy-startupsmart\/"},"modified":"2023-10-20T15:46:03","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:46:03","slug":"how-a-melbourne-co-working-space-helped-inspire-a-startup-set-to-disrupt-the-aviation-industry-with-flights-of-fancy-startupsmart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/uncategorized\/how-a-melbourne-co-working-space-helped-inspire-a-startup-set-to-disrupt-the-aviation-industry-with-flights-of-fancy-startupsmart\/","title":{"rendered":"How a Melbourne co-working space helped inspire a startup set to disrupt the aviation industry with flights of fancy – StartupSmart"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Melbourne startup Airly has been creating a bit of turbulence lately and it\u2019s all thanks to a co-working space in Richmond where the idea was brought to life, co-founder Alexander Robinson says.<\/p>\n

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Robinson\u2019s idea to disrupt the Australian aviation industry with an exclusive members-only flight experience drove him to leave a senior management role at an international manufacturing firm and locate himself at Inspire9.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI wanted to see the elements of the space that would help me with the idea I had,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

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Shortly after, Robinson came across Luke Hampshire on LinkedIn and found out he was working on the same idea.<\/p>\n

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The two joined forces with Ivan Vysotsky, a familiar face at Inspire9, and began working toward a collaborative vision for their idea.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe co-founding team is really quite complementary in our strengths,\u201d Robinson tells StartupSmart<\/i>.<\/p>\n

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Hampshire has been in the aviation industry for 15 years and Vysotsky\u2019s advanced technical skills made him instrumental in developing the app.<\/p>\n

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Combined with Robinson\u2019s business development background and experience in the air force, the team was able to design and co-ordinate a product that is the first of its kind in Australia.<\/p>\n

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This is Robinson\u2019s first crack at launching a startup and he credits Inspire9 for the inspiration it sparked in him.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI really just wanted to take the plunge and see if I could do it,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

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Airly will nurture a similar culture of risk-taking and innovation as it continues to grow, says Robinson.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe leveraged Inspire9\u2019s brand and culture to better understand our startup,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe would like to now pay it forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

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What it\u2019s like starting up in a co-working space<\/b><\/p>\n

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Robinson says co-working communities like Inspire9 are life-changing places for startups because of the barriers they break down.<\/p>\n

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\u201cYou learn that it\u2019s OK to fail and you\u2019ll find all levels of successful and unsuccessful entrepreneurs there,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

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One of the challenges in Australia, says Robinson, is its talent pool of people like tech developers and marketing professionals is fragmented.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThere are so many bright minds working on ideas in isolation,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

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\u201cPlaces like Inspire9 develop a critical mass of people to bounce ideas, challenge ideas, share advice and expertise, and build confidence in startups.\u201d<\/p>\n

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In the development of Airly, Robinson says co-working opened many doors in the form of pro bono mentoring, networks and publicity.<\/p>\n

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\u201cToday we are meeting with Victoria\u2019s Minister for Small Business, Innovation and Trade on steps forward and what support there is,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

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Based on their experience with Airly, Robinson encourages other startups to get involved in co-working communities.<\/p>\n

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He recalls advice from an old mentor to pursue his passion.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHe said the worst that can happen is you\u2019ll lose a bit of money but the lessons, people and experiences it leads to will be invaluable,\u201d Robinson says.<\/p>\n

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\u201cAnd co-working is the best place to start.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Airly\u2019s concept and its sceptics<\/b><\/p>\n

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Airly offers unlimited private flights between Sydney and Melbourne with monthly memberships priced from $2550.<\/p>\n

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The concept initiated with California-based Surf Air, which reportedly ordered $US312 million worth of aircraft in 2014.<\/p>\n

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Robinson says Airly\u2019s luxury flight experiences include bespoke concierge services and two hours saved in travel time.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt means our members can spend more time being productive rather than in the baggage waiting area,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

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Airly has been received with some scepticism in Australia.<\/p>\n

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According to the ABC,<\/i> aviation experts warn the startup is \u201cdoomed\u201d because domestic flights are very cheap now.<\/p>\n

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Robinson says their target market comprises a group of people that not only travel extensively but also value a premium experience over affordability.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe want to build a member-based network of likeminded people including CEOs, executives and entrepreneurs,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

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Follow<\/i> StartupSmart on<\/i> Facebook<\/i>,<\/i> Twitter<\/i>, and<\/i> LinkedIn<\/i>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Melbourne startup Airly has been creating a bit of turbulence lately and it\u2019s all thanks to a co-working space<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":58607,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,11,17,1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45739"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45739"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45739\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}