JetBlue Ventures

JetBlue Technology Ventures, now operating as SKY VC, was founded in 2016 as the first US airline-backed corporate venture capital subsidiary, established as a wholly owned subsidiary of JetBlue Airways in Silicon Valley. In May 2025, SKY Leasing — a premier aviation alternative asset manager with relationships spanning more than 100 airlines, OEMs, and MROs — acquired JetBlue Ventures and rebranded it as SKY VC in September 2025. The team of 13 continues under its existing leadership, with Amy Burr as Managing Director and Arielle Ring joining as President in June 2025. The firm typically invests $1 million to $3 million per company at seed through Series B stages, leading rounds across its portfolio. Since 2016 the firm has invested in 56 early-stage startups across enterprise and frontier technologies reshaping travel and transportation, including next-generation connectivity, robotics, quantum computing, sustainable aviation, and AI. The portfolio has produced 8 successful exits, including 1 IPO and more than 6 acquisitions. Notable companies include Joby Aviation (eVTOL, IPO), FLYR (airline revenue optimization SaaS), Tomorrow.io (weather intelligence), Gladly (AI customer experience), Assaia (AI computer vision for airports), Air Company ($69 million Series B led by JetBlue Ventures with In-Q-Tel), Aether Fuels (sustainable aviation fuel), and Wherobots (spatial AI). Past exits include Shape Security (acquired by F5 in 2019), TurnKey (acquired by Vacasa in 2021), 30SecondsToFly (acquired by Amex GBT in 2020), and Redeam (acquired by Travel Curious in 2025). SKY VC's strategic edge lies in deep aviation and travel industry relationships — portfolio companies gain access to an unparalleled network of airlines, airports, and travel operators as both validation channels and early customers. Stanford GSB published two case studies on the firm's evolution from a corporate venture arm to an independent aviation technology investor.