Jet Luxe – SME Success Story

Jet Luxe is headquartered in Dubai with a global presence covering the Middle East, North and Latin America, Continental Europe, and North and Southeast Asia. They uphold the highest standards throughout all aspects of private travel, from aircraft management to owner services, and amongst crowds of providers, they’re the fastest-growing start-up in the business aviation industry.

We caught up with the company’s CEO, Gabriel Madrid, to learn about how the company was founded, and what advice he would give to business owners who are considering funding.

Jet Luxe’s Story

What does your business do? 

We connect our clients with an impressive portfolio of private jets, yachts, and global experiences and we have successfully orchestrated thousands of charter trips. Through the unparalleled collective experience of the team and our pledge towards complete safety, efficiency, and transparency, every encounter with Jet Luxe is memorable and unique. Through our commitment to innovation and technology, we provide the industry’s most transparent reporting and payment system, streamlining operations and giving complete visibility and control to the client. In parallel, we employ a hyper-responsive approach to customer service with ultra-personalization as standard. We are wholeheartedly committed to delivering the industry’s best client-centric services that go the extra mile to delight and exceed expectations.

Jet Luxe is the only private jet brand with bases outside of the United States to have committed to the internationally recognized Forbes Travel Guide service standards and service excellence training, making it a unique choice for well-informed travelers. Forbes Travel Guide is known for its “Star Ratings” of luxury hotels, restaurants, and spas globally and brought its Five-Star hospitality approach to its work with Jet Luxe.

How did Jet Luxe begin? 

My brother, Sam Madrid, and I became obsessed with fixing some of the “pain points” of private jet use and ownership.

Hailing from a family of pilots, Sam and I spent most of our careers in the aviation industry. Over the years, we both became fixated on efficiency and improving the customer experience. We soon realized that although aviation is incredibly innovative, many elements of the industry need to be improved. For example, a charter’s booking and payment process are much more cumbersome and problematic than they should be. Issues like banking procedures, time differences, public holidays, and currency issues slow down the process of booking a flight, which is limiting and frustrating when an individual wants to fly immediately.

In 2020, Sam and I left our full-time roles and went all in on our start-up journey, developing Jet Luxe’s business model and growing the team to 60 employees today. Since its inception, Jet Luxe’s primary differentiator is its transparency, efficiency, honesty, and ability to offer exceptional experiences. The organization initially started to disrupt and streamline processes, making aircraft ownership and charter flights much more effective without compromising on experience and quality.

How did you find Beehive and why did you choose them for funding?  

Hari, Beehive’s Business Development Executive, found us. We had nothing to lose in trying it and it turned out to be a wise move!

Where did you use the funds you raised on Beehive? 

We reinvested in customers and obtained great returns. Clients are our focus as we would not be here without them!

How did you find the process?  

Beehive’s process is guaranteed to be fast and simple. The team is transparent and easy to understand. It mirrors one of our values which is transparency, and we appreciate that.

What would you say is the biggest impact of the pandemic on Jet Luxe back in 2020?

We were affected by the pandemic in a positive way, leading to the explosive growth of the business.

At the beginning of 2020, lots of people were stranded overseas. Families were quick to make use of private jet travel to bring their loved ones home. There was a huge spike in demand for private jet charters in early 2020, particularly from students at schools in the US and Europe. In parallel with this early spike in demand and against the backdrop of drastic cancellations in the commercial aviation sector, more new users turned to private jets to complete essential business travel. For some, these were “one-off” trips including repatriation but for the majority, it has become a regular mode of travel – even though most commercial, international routes are now operational again.

Into 2022, countries opened borders and eased or stopped all restrictions. Those that rely on business travel were keen to return to face-to-face meetings and events. A little-known fact outside of the sector, business aviation (private jets used for business purposes) is primarily used by corporate entities. These companies look to achieve more in less time: more deals, more volume, more meetings, and better, deeper customer relationships. For them, a private jet is a “time machine” that increases productivity and efficiency, thereby protecting jobs and advancing growth.

Now, the world has moved on, but everyone still missed a lot through the pandemic. Missed travel, missed experiences, and missed important moments. So, the era of “revenge travel” was born. Those embracing this phenomenon are passionate globe-trotters that feel that they have been “cheated” out of travel time and experiences. They are now keen to return to exploring with intent, passion, and purpose. Jet Luxe has flown lots of these families to our most popular destinations including Seychelles, Maldives, Finland, Oman, Thailand, and all over the US. We have expanded our concierge services to create unique itineraries to off-the-beaten-track destinations.

What are your business plans for the next 12 months?  

To continue expanding the fleet in size, variety, and geographical reach and to further expand our team of in-house experts, investors, and partners. This will allow Jet Luxe to continue to expand globally while offering localized services to meet the needs of certain markets. For example, we have seen a huge uptake in clients/users in the United States and we have adjusted the business model to fit this region. The USA clearly showed demand for smaller aircraft, so we identified the right partner(s) and rolled out our new services.

Jet Luxe also offers a series of investment options that have been extremely successful. Over the next 12 months, we will continue to expand this offering to offer value to our clients while ensuring the sustainable growth of the company.

What advice would you give to business owners considering funding? 

I would recommend Beehive before going to VCs as owners should consider Beehive as a platform where they can find funding but also guidance and a community of entrepreneurs.