Thematic – Qantas AVRO Accelerator 2018
By Alyona Medelyan, Co-Founder and CEO of Thematic
getthematic.com
A customer insights platform. We analyze customer feedback and other customer data to tell companies how they can improve customer experience and retention. Our customers include Fortune 500 companies and unicorn startups across 7 countries and 4 continents.
Why did you apply to the program?
Even before we heard about AVRO, we thought long and hard about which industries would get the most value out of Thematic. Airlines was high up on our short list. Then our investors told us that Qantas launched AVRO. So we jumped on a call with Kevin Wilson to learn more. Turns out Qantas selects startups based on their core needs, which we thought was a smart move! We thought that if we were accepted, we would have great alignment on goals. Usually, it takes a year or longer to sign a deal with a corporate. The AVRO programme promised to shorten the decision making process to a few month, so it was a no-brainer to apply and try our luck.
What’s it been like working with Qantas?
Before we got in, we had a call with several customer insights team at Qantas. We quickly understood that these teams care deeply about the problem we are solving. They did a rigorous evaluation of our capabilities and did not stop until they knew that what we offer is truly superior to what’s in the market. We were also impressed by how well-organised this process was, with weekly check-ins and great use of technology to make things efficient.
What’s the biggest learning you’ll take away from the Slingshot program?
This is such a hard question! Probably the biggest learnings came from the questions Qantas and Jetstar asked us. They pushed hard until they had clarity on our competitive differentiation and our road-map for the next 5 years. The Slingshot team was also instrumental in making sure our pitch was relatable and polished. These were all great learnings, and will help us long-term in our global growth.
What was your favourite aspect of the program?
We connected with teams at Qantas and Jetstar which were as excited about talking with us as we were about talking to them! We also met smart and ambitious founders of other startups, and enjoyed working with the Slingshot and AVRO teams who created and ran this programme with lots of passion and efficiency. Super impressed!
What’s next for your Startup?
We are excited about a potential commercial partnership with Qantas Group and creating value for various teams in this organisation. As Alan Joyce said, Qantas is the most prominent Australian brand worldwide, and working with them will help Thematic in our global growth.
