Today, Trade & Travel announced its next accelerator focused on how emerging technology can leverage the opportunities and challenges posed by unmanned aerial systems. The purpose of Trade & Travel's second accelerator, kicking off in April 2021, is to marry the needs of the industry with innovative emerging technology in the drone space. Applications to Trade & Travel's next accelerator cohort open today.

To lead this and future accelerators, the Trade & Travel board appointed Alexis Long, a proven leader in the industry with over 16 years of experience across the public and private sector, as the company's new Chief Executive Officer.

As Trade & Travel's first CEO, Long will focus on building upon the success of the combined Pangiam and Dcode teams that launched Trade & Travel's inaugural accelerator, focused on passenger screening and safety. He will lead the company's 2021 program connecting high impact emerging tech with high opportunity challenges facing the trade, travel, policing and security industries.

In line with its commitment to be a requirements-driven accelerator, Trade & Travel is expanding its Leading Voices network and is also announcing today new collaborations with Airports Council International and Airpol. Airports Council International is the trade association of the world's airports, serving 668 members, operating 1979 airports in 176 countries. Airpol is the European Union Network for Police and Border Guard Units at Airports responsible for the policing and security at hundreds of airports in the 27 member states across the EU. Airports Council International and Airpol will provide its expertise and that of its members to help to shape future accelerator events and identify opportunities for innovation in aviation.

ACI and Airpol will join existing partners, defense giant SAIC and international law and technology specialists Bird & Bird. Together they will play a pivotal role in the accelerator programs.

The growth, sophistication and application of drones has been dramatic. While defense continues to be a key driver in the drone market, commercially available small drones have seen tremendous growth as well. In the United States alone, the FAA has 1.7 million drones registered, and more than 1.2 million of those drones belong to recreational users. Drones are changing the international airspace and giving rise to both new opportunities and new challenges, specifically for the trade and travel and law enforcement industries.

Long stated, "Drones can be virtually invisible to today's radar systems, causing flight cancellations, delays, enormous economic damage and in the most serious cases, endangering people's lives. It is vital that we help accelerate tech solutions that can help solve this challenge."

Patrick Flanagan, CEO of Pangiam, stated, "Alexis' experience as a mission-focused innovator and thought leader, both at Heathrow and at the Transportation Security Administration, gives him a unique perspective to lead Trade & Travel. Alexis is uniquely suited to turn the challenge posed by drones into an opportunity."

Dcode CEO Meagan Metzger said, "Knowing the regulatory side and the emerging tech side of this equation is critical to Trade & Travel's success, and Alexis brings exactly that expertise. The trade and travel industries are looking for innovative solutions, which Alexis knows firsthand, but they are extremely challenging for tech to break into, which he also understands and can help with."

About Trade & Travel

Trade & Travel is a commercial partnership between Dcode and Pangiam to de-risk and accelerate emerging tech companies that can advance the trade and travel and law enforcement industries. Trade & Travel runs accelerators connecting high-impact emerging tech companies with high-opportunity challenges in these sectors. Click here to apply.

Trade & Travel is sponsored by SAIC, a premier Fortune 500® technology integrator solving the most complex modernization and readiness challenges across the defense, space, civilian, and intelligence markets.

About Dcode

Dcode connects the tech industry and government to drive commercial innovation in the federal market. Dcode has worked with more than 100 tech companies and hundreds of government organizations, driving more than 200 new implementations of commercial technology in government and millions in federal contracts. Visit dcode.co to learn more.

About Pangiam

Pangiam is a public-private partnership company creating a network of industry partners aimed at revolutionizing the future of operations, security, and safety at airports, seaports, and land border crossings through the use of emerging technology. As a team of customs and security professionals with over 50 years of experience at senior levels of the U.S. government, Pangiam has an intimate understanding of the security, facilitation, and disaster response challenges and aspirations of governments and industry leaders around the world.