While passengers enjoy high-tech biometric gates and mobile boarding passes, the logic behind the scenes – at the gates and on the runway – often remains stuck in the 1990s. INPUT SOFT is here to change that, and the European Innovation Council (EIC) has just validated their mission with a €500,000 grant.
Aviation is an industry of razor-thin margins and massive logistical puzzles. When a flight is delayed, it’s rarely just about the weather. More often, it’s a “resource mismatch”: the fuel truck arrived too late, the cleaning crew wasn’t scheduled correctly, or the baggage handlers were stuck at another terminal. For decades, these multi-million dollar operations have been managed with Excel sheets and radio calls.
INPUT SOFT, a Ukrainian-founded deep-tech startup and Techstars alumnus, has built the digital “nervous system” that airports have been waiting for.
A Half-Million Euro Vote of Confidence
The news isn’t just about the money; it’s about the strategic weight of the partner. The European Innovation Council (EIC), with its €10.1 billion budget, is the most prestigious “stamp of approval” a tech company can receive in Europe.
Input Soft has been selected to receive a €500,000 grant through the EISMEA (European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency). This funding is designed to accelerate their product development and fuel their expansion across European hubs.
“Being selected is a strong validation of our vision and the impact we are building in aviation”, says Anastasiia Smyk, CEO and Co-founder of INPUT SOFT. “For us, this is not only about funding. It is about long-term collaboration, access to a powerful network, and building alongside partners who share our ambition”.
What Makes Input Soft a Game-Changer?
INPUT SOFT doesn’t just digitize paperwork; it optimizes the two most complex parts of airport management:
Resource Management System (RMS): In aviation, labor is a massive operational cost. The RMS platform uses data to predict exactly how many people and what equipment will be needed for every flight, preventing both idle time and costly shortages.
Ground Handling Management (GHM): This is a real-time command center. It tracks every service provided to an aircraft—from catering to de-icing—ensuring that data flows instantly from the ground to the billing office, eliminating human error and “invisible” delays.
By integrating these two modules, the startup allows airport managers to move from “reacting to fires” to “predictive planning”.
The Rise of Ukrainian Deep-Tech
INPUT SOFT is part of a powerhouse cohort of 40 Ukrainian companies receiving EIC support. This reflects a significant trend: Western VCs and institutional partners are no longer looking at Ukraine solely for outsourcing. They are looking for sophisticated, scalable SaaS solutions that can solve global infrastructure problems.
The growth of INPUT SOFT – from its foundational experience in the Techstars accelerator to its current standing as a high-impact venture led by Forbes 30u30 visionary Anastasiia Smyk – is a story of pure resilience. Throughout the turbulence of recent years, the team has remained laser-focused on their technical roadmap, proving that Ukrainian innovation can lead the way in even the most complex global markets.
What’s Next for the Skies?
With €500,000 in fresh capital, the startup is set to aggressively scale its presence in the EU. As airlines and airports face increasing pressure to become more sustainable and efficient, INPUT SOFT’s data-driven approach is no longer a “nice-to-have” – it is becoming the industry standard.
The next time your flight departs perfectly on time, there’s a growing chance that a Ukrainian algorithm was the reason why.
Source: ; INPUT SOFT