Stockport airport tech firm AeroCloud, has appointed Travis Kimmel as independent advisor to the CEO and the board following its $12.6M Series A funding round in 2023.
Kimmel brings a depth of experience in sustainably growing software businesses. He is the co-founder and former CEO of cloud-based productivity and analytics solution, GitPrime, which tripled its revenue every year before the company was acquired by Pluralsight in 2019 in a deal worth $170M.
The following year, he was appointed president of financial media and education platform, RealVision, and most recently held the position of GM at people management platform, Lattice, under Jack Altman.
Drawing on his entrepreneurial and engineering experience, Kimmel will offer expert advice to AeroCloud CEO George Richardson to cement AeroCloud’s position as the number one provider of cloud-native SaaS management for airports, supporting its vision of becoming the overall market leader for airport technology.
Kimmel is a strong believer in having a presence in the boardroom who understands and can advocate for the engineering and R&D perspectives.
The new appointee said: “It’s common for founders to find that the stakes get higher following a Series A funding raise. Large amounts of capital are entering the business and this adds pressure in the form of more criteria to meet. Focus increasingly turns towards operationalisation, efficiency, and elements such as revenue per employee and growth strategy.
“Navigating this pivotal moment in a company’s growth is challenging for a CEO, and I am a huge believer, having had fantastic support when growing my own business, of the positive role that board members can play as an ally, an advocate and an advisor.
“AeroCloud is in a compelling position as it is disrupting an industry that has very few similar upstart players, despite being ripe for disruption. In addition, George is the best person to lead AeroCloud in the mission to revolutionise the sector. He’s ambitious and has the drive that makes an exceptional entrepreneur. I’m looking forward to working with and supporting him in navigating AeroCloud through its next stage of growth.”
Over the past three years of operations, AeroCloud has built partnerships with more than 47 airports worldwide, including the likes of Minneapolis St Paul, Manchester and Tampa International Airport. In 2023, AeroCloud saw growth in its airport customer base, and its software is used to process more than 190 million passengers annually.
AeroCloud CEO Richardsaon added: “As we continue to push to new heights in AI-driven airport management technology, Travis’s expertise in building and scaling a successful software business will be invaluable in the form of guidance to the leadership team. He had an incredible journey with GitPrime, which much like AeroCloud was a business idea born out of using tech to solve an operational problem, and since then has been influential in his roles as President and GM of RealVision and Lattice respectively.
“The search was vast with a huge commitment of time to find the right person, I am super glad we landed Travis. I am certain that his experience will be instrumental in securing AeroCloud’s position as the leading technology provider that empowers airports, streamlines operations and enhances the overall passenger experience.”
Kimmel joins AeroCloud’s board following recent expansion to the senior team, with Uri Guterman being appointed as VP of Product in October 2023, and Jeff Gore joining as VP of Sales in December 2023.
