Undagrid takes flight with Delft

Undagrid, a Netherlands-based internet of things (IoT) startup aimed at the aviation industry, has secured an investment of an undisclosed amount from the Mainport Innovation Fund.

Mainport is a partnership between Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport, Rabobank, airliner KLM, and Delft University of Technology which is backing startups and spinouts coming out of the region with applications in aviation.

Undagrid plans to use the funding to grow its business internationally. The firm specialises in track and trace technology for non-motorised objects around an airport. It is currently in use at Schiphol where it tracks baggage carts and aircraft stairs, allowing the airport to keep a live database of where the objects are.

Rolf van de Velde, Undagrid’s CEO and co-founder, said: “Companies usually have multiple objects to manage, from big to small. Up until now, if they had no power, there was almost no way for vital information about these objects to be shared, such as the location, temperature, or their current status. If a situation like this occurs, it’s always a matter of: where exactly are the objects now and/or what’s the status of the objects? Undagrid technology ensures that objects, not matter what size, share useful information not only with each other, but also with the people operating the objects.”