Overwatch AI raises $1.5M to help airline crews cut through operational chaos
What's the deal? Overwatch AI, an aviation operations platform for pilots and airline crews, has raised $1.5M in pre-seed funding. The round was backed by United Airlines Ventures, Baobab VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Pegasus Innovation LabDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and MasiaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, alongside angel investors including David Bennett and Alex Brooker.
Founded in 2025 by former airline pilot Leo Kotil, Overwatch AI builds an operational intelligence platform that helps airline teams access critical flight information and improve decision-making. The startup aims to consolidate fragmented data sources that crews currently juggle across multiple systems during flight operations.
Why now? Airline operations remain surprisingly analogue in many areas. Crews often navigate a patchwork of disconnected tools and information systems to get the data they need — from weather updates to maintenance logs to scheduling changes. As air traffic volumes recover and grow post-pandemic, the inefficiency of these workflows becomes harder to ignore.
The involvement of United Airlines Ventures signals that major carriers see real value in solving this problem. Strategic investors from the aviation industry don't typically back pre-seed startups unless the pain point is acute and the timing is right.
What could go wrong? Aviation is one of the most heavily regulated industries in the world. Any tool that feeds information to flight crews must meet stringent safety and compliance standards, which could slow product development and raise costs. Overwatch AI will also need to win the trust of airlines — organisations that are notoriously cautious about adopting new technology in operational contexts.
At $1.5M, the startup has a thin runway to prove its value in a sector where sales cycles are long and integration requirements are complex.
The signal: United Airlines Ventures backing a pre-seed startup is notable — as a corporate investor, its involvement alongside Pegasus Innovation Lab (also a corporate investor) suggests incumbent airlines are actively seeking external solutions to cockpit-level inefficiencies rather than building in-house. This double corporate bet at such an early stage underscores how acute the operational data problem is for carriers navigating rising air traffic with legacy systems.
Read more: Tech.eu
