The Allplane Podcast #111 - investing in sustainable aviation, w/ Mukul Hariharan of United Airlines Ventures Sustainable Flight Fund

The decarbonization of the aviation industry will require huge amounts of investment.

If we focus on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) alone, the amount of capex that will be required is staggering. Take Europe, for example, that will need over 100 new SAF production plants by 2030 if the aviation industry is to meet the EU’s ambitious SAF adoption plans.

No wonder, then, that some of the most prominent initiatives to channel fresh investment towards this field have come from inside the industry.

The Sustainable Flight Fund, set up by United Airlines through its United Airlines Ventures investment arm, is the largest venture fund in the world dedicated specifically to SAF investment. Interestingly, it is not a single-company effort, since, to back this project, United has assembled a broad coalition of fellow investors from across the commercial aviation ecosystem, including some airlines that are its direct competitors.

Mukul Hariharan, a former airline pilot turned venture capitalist, is the managing partner of United’s Sustainable Flight Fund. He has come to the podcast to talk about it and about its investment philosophy.

So, tune in, for a short but interesting conversation with one of the main players in the SAF investment scene!