SkySelect Raises $9M for AI Aviation Procurement

The aviation sector's persistent struggle with inefficient parts procurement is set for a significant overhaul, as SkySelect, an Estonian-founded innovator, recently closed a $9 million growth funding round. This capital injection is poised to accelerate the deployment of its specialized AI platform, designed to bring unprecedented transparency and efficiency to the global aircraft parts market, a segment grappling with an estimated $40 billion annual spend.

Airlines and Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) organizations have long contended with a fragmented and manual procurement landscape. This often results in substantial financial drains, including approximately $30 billion annually from Aircraft-on-Ground (AOG) incidents, where planes are idled awaiting critical components. Furthermore, the industry collectively holds an astounding $50 billion in excess parts inventory, a clear indicator of systemic inefficiencies that SkySelect's technology directly addresses.

The strategic investment round saw co-leadership from Verb Ventures and RockCreek, with additional participation from SmartCap Green Fund (backed by the European Union's NextGenerationEU initiative), alongside existing investors Bain Capital Ventures and Lux Capital. This diverse syndicate underscores the market's confidence in SkySelect's proven ability to deliver tangible operational and financial benefits to its growing client base.

SkySelect's proprietary AI stands apart from generalized large language models by employing a highly specialized approach to match aircraft part requests with optimal suppliers across its expansive network of thousands of global vendors. This targeted methodology provides real-time market visibility, enabling just-in-time procurement strategies. Such advancements are critical for building operational resilience and significantly reducing the need for costly safety stock, which can cut logistics costs and even lower carbon emissions by minimizing shipments by up to 30 percent.

Since its inception, SkySelect has processed transactions exceeding $6 billion, with a remarkable $1.3 billion transacted in 2025 alone. The company's rapid expansion is evidenced by its consistent acquisition of approximately one new major client each month, including prominent names like JetBlue, Sun Country Airlines, Air Transport Services Group, Widerøe, and Vueling. This robust growth trajectory highlights the urgent industry demand for modern procurement solutions.

Erkki Brakmann, CEO and co-founder of SkySelect, emphasized the platform's impact: "The aviation industry's reliance on outdated procurement systems creates a massive disconnect, with billions spent on parts while simultaneously warehousing billions in unused inventory. Our AI-driven platform directly tackles this inefficiency, and this funding validates both our early-mover advantage and the significant value we deliver." Alexander Chikunov, founding partner at Verb Ventures, added, "SkySelect exemplifies the kind of B2B platform we champion: one that injects transparency into opaque supply chains through data and automation, positioning them to capture a larger share of the $40 billion aircraft materials market."

The newly secured capital will be strategically deployed to further enhance SkySelect's AI sourcing and procurement optimization tools. This investment will support the company's ambitious hiring plans across product development, data science, and customer success teams in its offices spanning the USA, India, and Estonia, ultimately fostering a more reliable, predictable, and sustainable supply chain for the global aviation industry.