GMR Group joins Global Innovation Platform, Plug and Play

SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, April 20, 2021 – GMR Group, the 4th largest airport developer, partners with Plug and Play, the world’s leading corporate innovation platform out of Silicon Valley.

Mr. SGK Kishore, Executive Director, South and Chief Innovation Officer, at GMR Airports, said, “GMR Innovex is a platform that will help both GMR as well as our partners and stakeholders to look beyond the present and get ready for the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow. Through our strategic partnership with Plug and Play we will engage with the global startup and innovation ecosystem to further our innovation agenda which includes identification and commercialization of new ideas, digital and cultural transformation of our organization, and startup investments.”

The GMR Group is joining the global innovation platform, Plug and Play, to be able to continuously leverage technology coming out of Silicon Valley and around the world. Through this partnership, the leading airport developer will look to co-build products and solutions with startups in the travel space. This will be the first corporation out of India to partner with Plug and Play Travel & Hospitality and will be joining airport groups such as Changi International, Fraport, Vienna International, Manchester Airports Group, Ontario Airport Investments, Brussels Airport, and Gatwick Airport. The Travel vertical at Plug and Play is on its 11th batch and showing no signs of slowing as they’ve opened offices in Geneva through a partnership with IATA, Vienna, Abu Dhabi, and Singapore in recent years. The corporate accelerator hopes to play a pivotal role in helping the industry recover by facilitating partnerships that encourage digital transformation.

“We are very excited to support GMR Group on their innovation initiatives by not only integrating them in our Travel & Hospitality program that works with dozens of airports around the world, but also by giving them visibility into our IoT, Real Estate, Brand & Retail, Mobility, Sustainability, and Supply Chain programs. We believe GMR’s focus on digitalization and innovation during the pandemic will result in the group coming out of these trying times ahead of their competition. In 2021 we are looking to establish one or more offices for Plug and Play in India with GMR’s support and guidance,” said Saeed Amidi, Founder and CEO, Plug and Play.

GMR has been a pioneer and a leader in the infrastructure industry, particularly in airports where it has made a name for itself. One of the factors that has set GMR apart has been its focus on leveraging technology and innovation to deliver the best services possible to passengers. This innovative mindset caught Plug and Play’s attention as they were looking for the first corporate partner to come on board the program from India. Plug and Play will join hands with GMR to bring both emerging technology and established startups from all of its offices globally. This is just the beginning for the two organizations who plan to bring a world-class startup accelerator to Hyderabad in 2021.

AboutGMR Group:

GMR Group is a leading global infrastructure conglomerate with interests in Airport, Energy, Transportation and Urban Infrastructure. GMR Airports, a joint-venture with Groupe ADP, have around 172 mn passenger capacity in operation and under development, comprising of India's busiest Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport and Mactan Cebu International Airport in partnership with Megawide in Philippines.

GMR Varalakshmi Foundation (GMRVF), is the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of GMR Group. Its objectives are to develop social infrastructure and enhance the quality of life of communities around the locations that has the Group’s presence. The foundation is being supported by over a 1000-member team working in 18 locations in India and 2 locations in Nepal. And, by making a difference to the society, GMRVF is happy to have created an impact on over 1 lakh lives.

Greenfield projects under development includes Airport at Mopa in Goa, Bhogapuram, Andhra Pradesh and in Heraklion, Crete, Greece in partnership with GEK Terna.

GMR Group is developing very unique airport cities on the commercial land available around its airports in Delhi, Hyderabad and Goa.

The Group’s Energy business has a diversified portfolio of around 4,995 MW.

Transportation and Urban Infrastructure division of the Group has six operating roads and highways project spanning over 2,400 lane kms. It is also developing multi-product Special Investment Regions across various locations in India.

For further information about GMR Group, visit http://www.gmrgroup.in/index.html

About Plug and Play

Plug and Play is a global innovation platform. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we have built accelerator programs, corporate innovation services, and an in-house VC to make technological advancement progress faster than ever before. Since inception in 2006, our programs have expanded worldwide to include a presence in over 38 locations globally, giving startups the necessary resources to succeed in Silicon Valley and beyond. With 30,000 startups and 500 official corporate partners, we have created the ultimate startup ecosystem in many industries, including Travel & Hospitality, with offices in Silicon Valley, Singapore, Shanghai, and Vienna, etc. We currently work with Accor, Airbus, Asian Development Bank, CWT, IATA, JetBlue Technology Ventures, Marriott International, Pacific Asia Travel Association, Star Alliance, TUI Group and many more. Companies in our community have raised over $9 billion in funding, with successful portfolio exits including Danger, Dropbox, Honey, Lending Club and PayPal. For more information,https://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/travel/.