Ready to Thrive? Startup with StartupCincy.

We’re excited to spotlight Huzefa Dossaji, Co-Founder & CTO of Airtrek Robotics, who is bringing a new level of safety and intelligence to aircraft ground operations. Here’s a closer look at what he’s building: “I’ve wanted to work on autonomous vehicles for as long as I can remember.” Huzefa studied Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering at Clemson University, then stayed on for a master’s in Automotive Engineering, focused on autonomous systems. During that time, he joined Clemson’s Deep Orange program, where he helped build a self-driving car from scratch, unveiled at CES in Las Vegas in 2023. Airtrek builds autonomous ground-handling robots that position themselves around aircraft and nearby obstacles, giving marshallers and tow operators clearer visibility when towing and parking planes. “On the ramp and in hangars, those last few feet matter. A small misjudgment or a hidden obstacle can turn into real damage and serious delays,” Huzefa shared. “Just like cars evolved from mirrors to backup cameras to self-parking, we’re bringing that progression to aviation, starting with better visibility today and paving the way to fully automated towing tomorrow.” Huzefa says 2026 is about scale and validation: “We’ll be testing and deploying with major customers in multiple cities, in their own hangars and on their own ramps, turning today’s pilots into the standard way aircraft are moved safely.” When asked for advice for founders looking to tap into the StartupCincy community, Huzefa didn’t hesitate: “Be vulnerable, be humble, and be willing to learn. If you’re a first-time founder, there’s so much you don’t know yet, and that’s okay. Come in with open questions instead of pretending you have it all figured out. Ask the basic stuff. Let people poke holes in your idea. Listen more than you talk.” “If you show up ready to absorb, not just to pitch, StartupCincy becomes more than a network,” he added. “It becomes a classroom, a sounding board, and a real support system.” #PeopleOfStartupCincy

We’re excited to introduce Gular Ismayilova, Co-Founder & Business Development Manager at Nexus Lab, who is transforming non-CO₂ climate science into practical tools airline teams can actually use. Here’s a closer look at what she’s building: “My job has always been to take complex work and make it usable. Before Nexus Lab, I worked across business development and operations, and I saw firsthand how big goals fall apart when workflows are messy and data is disconnected. In aviation sustainability, the same thing was happening with contrails and non-CO₂ warming. Airlines were being asked to manage and report on it with confidence, but most tools were academic, siloed, or too theoretical to operate at scale. We built Nexus Lab to make it practical. Nexus Lab turns non-CO₂ research into everyday operational decisions. We help airlines plan flights to avoid warming contrails, verify outcomes with independent data, and package everything for EU reporting.” When asked why Cincinnati is the right home for Nexus Lab, Gular shared: “Cincinnati is the right size to move quickly. Leaders are accessible, intros happen the same week, and the culture is practical. Having CVG, one of the largest cargo airports in the country, keeps us close to real airline and logistics operations.” Looking ahead, Gular is focused on deepening trust and scaling intelligently: “This year is all about scale and trust. Faster integrations, a customer advisory board that shapes the roadmap, and partnerships that meet airlines where they already work. Success is when sustainability leaders, fuel managers, and dispatch all feel like this is one clean process.” And the most impactful part of her StartupCincy experience? “It’s the combination of Cintrifuse’s Venture Velocity Program connectivity and the day-to-day collisions at Union Hall. It’s not just events. It’s the warm introductions, the honest feedback, and the feeling that people here want you to ship, not just talk.” Gular Ismayilova and the Nexus Lab team are building the tools airlines need to turn climate responsibility into everyday operations. #PeopleOfStartupCincy

We’re excited to spotlight Omar Nuruzade, Co-founder & CEO of Nexus Lab, who is taking on one of aviation’s biggest climate challenges. “I’ve always been driven to understand how complex systems behave, first in Earth sciences, and now in global aviation. Over the past few years, I’ve focused entirely on climate solutions, especially sustainable aviation. And one thing became clear very quickly: if aviation is serious about decarbonization, we have to solve the non-CO₂ side of the equation, especially contrails. Contrails drive a huge share of aviation’s near-term warming, yet most tools and policies ignore them. We help airlines see and manage their total climate impact, not just CO₂. We predict high-impact contrail regions before a flight ever leaves the ground, verify contrail formation with satellite data after the flight, and package everything into regulation-ready reporting for EU compliance. We’re currently exploring flight trials with airlines in Europe and have fully built out our EU non-CO₂ reporting stack. For the first time, sustainability, fuel, and flight operations teams can work from a single source of truth. This year, we plan to publish open-source case studies with our airline partners, scale flight coverage across more fleets, and make non-CO₂ management a routine part of airline operations. We’re also committed to growing our team here in Cincinnati. Being in Cincinnati has been a strategic advantage. We’re right next to CVG, which gives us proximity to real airline operations. But the ecosystem is more than location. StartupCincy cut months off our journey. Cintrifuse’s Venture Velocity Program gave us a tight feedback loop and opened critical doors, while Union Hall made it easy to meet mentors who actually roll up their sleeves. Many of our earliest pilots and advisor relationships trace directly back to introductions made here. My advice for anyone looking to tap into this community? Show up with a concrete ask, then follow through fast. Go to one event a week, book office hours, and send a two-line update to the people who helped you. Cincinnati rewards momentum and reciprocity.” #PeopleOfStartupCincy