AA: Getting Us Where We Need to Go
Corporate engagement is a crucial element to cultivating a strong startup culture in America. American Airlines, one of our corporate sponsors, supports startups by providing thousands of registered Startup America Firms with access to flights and travel reward opportunities through Business ExtrAA®, American’s business-to-business loyalty program.
Yes, you read right – our pals at American Airlines help us get our startups where they need to go. Whether it’s to a meeting like our recent Summit in Boulder, CO, or an awesome contest with a grand prize of 80 roundtrip tickets, AA understands that startups are an integral part ofkick-starting our national economy.
Read some of our startups’ emails to AA, check out their pictures, and be sure to shoot us an email if you want to send your own thank you.
Dear Sirs,
It's so easy to read in the papers about the latest surcharge snafu or flight cancellation, but you rarely read about other less publicized work that theAmerican Airlines family does every day in helping make America a better place. I serve as head of Startup Connecticut, whose mission it is to help accelerate the pace of innovation and startup creation in Connecticut and in America, creating new jobs and helping restore our economy. It's a "by entrepreneurs, for entrepreneurs" organization, with many volunteers already working seven days a week to make their own startup missions succeed. Most regional franchises are funded out of the pockets of the entrepreneurs themselves, who want to apply their skillsets and mentoring to others, so collectively we can all raise the bar in America when it comes to innovation and entrepreneurship. "Entrepreneurship creates jobs" is a common theme in our organization.
American Airlines is not just flying people around, it's helping us reinvent and recast America. We're all volunteers doing what we think is really important work, and your firm is making a huge difference in helping move the needle for Startup America, Startup Connecticut and entrepreneurs all over. While the number of tickets has been relative small given the number of fliers AA handles everyday, the impact has been global and significant. I just wanted to reach out and say a big, "Thank You!" Together, we're starting up America!
- Danny Briere, CEO, TeleChoice, Inc.
"We are so thrilled that American Airlines understands the power of face-to-face connections. Through the Startup America Partnerships, American Airlines has given entrepreneurs across the country the ability to travel and meet one another and meet people who support entrepreneurs with the additional resources and relationships they need to succeed. Thank you American Airlines for knowing the power of face-to-face and supporting startups across the country.
- Janice Caillet, CoFounder, iSTARTUP
“On behalf of American Airlines, I can tell you we are thrilled to support Startup America. One of the highlights of my job is hearing stories from entrepreneurs on how American is playing a role in enabling their success. It is something we take great pride in, and clearly a market that we intend to develop and grow.”
- Derek L. DeCross, Vice President, Global Sales, American Airlines
Over 8,200 startups have joined the Startup America Partnership to help grow their companies. Become a member today!
