Case study · Avealto
One Times exclusive that put a 10-person start-up on Airbus' radar
We took a UK tech start-up's trademark dispute with Airbus and turned it into a Times exclusive, putting a 10-person company in front of a business audience of 24 million — then, three years later, drove a fresh wave of trade and national coverage around its $50m production funding round.
pieces of coverage
outlets and editions
countries
audience reach*
Two chapters, one story each
12 titles across 2 chapters
Chapter 01 of 02 · 2023 — The Times exclusive
8 titles followed
#
Outlet & headline as published
Date
DA
- 01Advanced TelevisionAvealto launches trademark action against Airbus13 Feb 2023DA 73
- 02ISPreview UKBritish Internet via HAPS Firm Avealto in Trademark Spat with Airbus over Aalto13 Feb 2023DA 68
- 03sUAS NewsUK-based tech disruptor, Avealto, launches legal action against Airbus over trademark dispute13 Feb 2023DA 68
- 04Via SatelliteAvealto Launches Trademark Dispute Against Airbus HAPS Venture13 Feb 2023DA 61
- 05Daily MailHow worried should we be about menacing spies in the sky?14 Feb 2023DA 94
- 06UAS VISIONUK HAPS Startup Takes Legal Action Against Airbus14 Feb 2023DA 55
- 07Data Center DynamicsHAPs company Avealto launches trademark dispute against Airbus16 Feb 2023DA 69
- 08LinkedIn(share)TelcoTitans on LinkedIn: Interview: Avealto’s Walt Anderson says ‘time has come’ for atmosat8 Mar 2023DA 99
- 09TelcoTitansInterview: Avealto’s Walt Anderson says ‘time has come’ for atmosat8 Mar 2023DA 32
Chapter 02 of 02 · 2026 — The funding round
4 titles followed
#
Outlet & headline as published
Date
DA
- 01Advanced TelevisionAvealto opens $50m funding round20 Jul 2026DA 76
- 02SatNewsAvealto Opens $50 Million Funding Round to Launch Stratospheric Broadband Production20 Jul 2026DA 70
- 03Aviation International NewsLow-cost Broadband Project Launches Funding Drive21 Jul 2026DA 76
- 04Kent OnlineJob promise for proposed £37m rival to Starlink22 Jul 2026DA 76
- 05Manufacturing ManagementAvealto Launches $50m Funding Round For High-Altitude Connectivitynot in the book
- 06Insider Media‘Britain’s answer to Starlink’ opens £37m raise to fund new factory and commercial deploymentnot in the book
2 placements named in the approved copy but not in the coverage book, so not counted: Manufacturing Management, “Avealto Launches $50m Funding Round For High-Altitude Connectivity”; Insider Media, “‘Britain’s answer to Starlink’ opens £37m raise to fund new factory and commercial deployment”.
The brief
The brief
Avealto first appointed Bridgehead on a project basis in 2023 to raise public awareness of its trademark dispute with Airbus, following Airbus rebranding its competing platform as 'Aalto'. The goal: generate scrutiny of a multinational behaving aggressively toward a British innovator. The relationship continued into 2026, when Bridgehead supported the announcement of Avealto's $50m production funding round.
An innovative British start-up developing a fleet of high-altitude unmanned air balloons to deliver long-duration telecommunications services to rural, remote, maritime and aeronautical customers.
Objectives
- 01Draw attention to the trademark dispute with Airbus.
- 02Protect Avealto's commercial position in the emerging high-altitude connectivity market.
- 03Generate public and political scrutiny of Airbus' rebrand.
- 04Highlight Avealto's economic contribution as a UK-based technology innovator.
The approach
How we approached it
A targeted media programme in 2023 focused on the economic and commercial implications of the trademark dispute, followed by a 2026 trade and business media push around Avealto's move into production.
2023 — The Times exclusive
We secured an exclusive with The Times business section, ensuring the trademark dispute story broke with credibility and reached a high-value business audience before any competitor coverage.
2023 — UK innovation framing
Press materials highlighted the impact on a UK-based technology start-up, positioning Avealto's potential economic contribution to frame the dispute in terms of job creation and British innovation.
2023 — Political stakeholder outreach
We supported outreach to relevant political stakeholders to reinforce the public interest dimension of the trademark case.
2026 — Funding round announcement
We briefed satellite, aviation and business trade press ahead of Avealto's $50m production funding round, securing same-day coverage across the outlets that matter most to investors and industry partners.
The results, 2023-02 to 2026-07
15 pieces across 2 countries
pieces of coverage
outlets and editions
countries
continents
estimated readers*
audience reach*
*audience reach and estimated readers, Portal Coverage Builder, September 2026. Portal Coverage Builder: one audience-reach figure per outlet domain (the maximum reported), summed across every domain; estimated readers is the sum of views across every piece. Figures reproduce the portal's own method exactly; a title that carries several pieces is counted once for reach (its highest reported figure) but every piece counts toward readers.
PIECES PER MONTH, 2023-02 TO 2026-07
The February 2023 spike of 8 pieces is the busiest month in the book. Months with no coverage stay at zero.
Index of coverage
All 15 pieces, by country
United Kingdom
11 pieces · 10 outletsKent Online Job promise for proposed £37m rival to Starlink · United Kingdom
22 Jul 2026
Advanced Television Avealto opens $50m funding round · United Kingdom
20 Jul 2026
IBTimes UK The Gap Between Fibre and Satellite: How Avealto Plans to Connect the Three Billion People Neither Can Reach · United Kingdom
20 Jul 2026
TelcoTitans Interview: Avealto’s Walt Anderson says ‘time has come’ for atmosat · United Kingdom
8 Mar 2023
Data Center Dynamics HAPs company Avealto launches trademark dispute against Airbus · United Kingdom
16 Feb 2023
United Kingdom, continued
Daily Mail How worried should we be about menacing spies in the sky? · United Kingdom
14 Feb 2023
UAS VISION UK HAPS Startup Takes Legal Action Against Airbus · United Kingdom
14 Feb 2023
Advanced Television Avealto launches trademark action against Airbus · United Kingdom
13 Feb 2023
ISPreview UK British Internet via HAPS Firm Avealto in Trademark Spat with Airbus over Aalto · United Kingdom
13 Feb 2023
sUAS News UK-based tech disruptor, Avealto, launches legal action against Airbus over trademark dispute · United Kingdom
13 Feb 2023
United Kingdom, continued
The Times UK start-up accuses Airbus of low trick · United Kingdom
13 Feb 2023
United States
3 pieces · 3 outletsAviation International News Low-cost Broadband Project Launches Funding Drive · United States
21 Jul 2026
SatNews Avealto Opens $50 Million Funding Round to Launch Stratospheric Broadband Production · United States
20 Jul 2026
Via Satellite Avealto Launches Trademark Dispute Against Airbus HAPS Venture · United States
13 Feb 2023
No fixed newsroom
1 piece · 1 outletLinkedIn TelcoTitans on LinkedIn: Interview: Avealto’s Walt Anderson says ‘time has come’ for atmosat social
8 Mar 2023
Every piece
All the coverage
UNITED KINGDOM
Job promise for proposed £37m rival to Starlink
Kent Online, Rochester · 22 Jul 2026
UNITED STATES
Low-cost Broadband Project Launches Funding Drive
Aviation International News, Midland Park · 21 Jul 2026
UNITED STATES
Avealto Opens $50 Million Funding Round to Launch Stratospheric Broadband Production
SatNews, Sonoma · 20 Jul 2026
UNITED KINGDOM
Avealto opens $50m funding round
Advanced Television, London · 20 Jul 2026
DA 82UNITED KINGDOM
The Gap Between Fibre and Satellite: How Avealto Plans to Connect the Three Billion People Neither Can Reach
IBTimes UK, London · 20 Jul 2026
UNITED KINGDOM
Interview: Avealto’s Walt Anderson says ‘time has come’ for atmosat
TelcoTitans, London · 8 Mar 2023
TelcoTitans on LinkedIn: Interview: Avealto’s Walt Anderson says ‘time has come’ for atmosat
LinkedIn · 8 Mar 2023
UNITED KINGDOM
HAPs company Avealto launches trademark dispute against Airbus
Data Center Dynamics, London · 16 Feb 2023
UNITED KINGDOM
UK HAPS Startup Takes Legal Action Against Airbus
UAS VISION, London · 14 Feb 2023
DA 94UNITED KINGDOM
How worried should we be about menacing spies in the sky?
Daily Mail, London · 14 Feb 2023
DA 93UNITED KINGDOM
UK start-up accuses Airbus of low trick
The Times, London · 13 Feb 2023
UNITED STATES
Avealto Launches Trademark Dispute Against Airbus HAPS Venture
Via Satellite, Rockville · 13 Feb 2023
UNITED KINGDOM
British Internet via HAPS Firm Avealto in Trademark Spat with Airbus over Aalto
ISPreview UK, London · 13 Feb 2023
UNITED KINGDOM
Avealto launches trademark action against Airbus
Advanced Television, London · 13 Feb 2023
UNITED KINGDOM
UK-based tech disruptor, Avealto, launches legal action against Airbus over trademark dispute
sUAS News, London · 13 Feb 2023
The breakthrough
One Times exclusive that put a 10-person start-up on Airbus' radar — then a funding round that proved the model works.
By securing the story as an exclusive with The Times, we ensured Avealto's position was heard by the business audience that mattered most, before Airbus could control the narrative. Subsequent trade coverage cemented visibility within the aerospace and telecommunications sectors. Three years on, the same media relationships delivered same-day coverage of Avealto's $50m production funding round across trade and national press.
The outcome
A single well-placed exclusive that turned a David-vs-Goliath legal dispute into national business news, and gave a 10-person start-up leverage against a multinational. The relationship continues: Avealto's 2026 funding round drew a fresh wave of trade and national press.
The impact
- 01Exclusive with The Times reaching 24M+ monthly readers on a commercially sensitive story.
- 02Elevated Avealto's national business profile during an active trademark dispute.
- 03Reinforced positioning as a UK-based technology innovator in the high-altitude connectivity sector.
- 04Generated public visibility that strengthened Avealto's position in the dispute.
- 052026 update: Avealto's $50m production funding round (UK manufacturing at Lydd Airport, a September prototype demonstration, and its first commercial network in Southeast Asia) generated fresh trade and national coverage within 24 hours, including Advanced Television, IBTimes UK, Manufacturing Management, Aviation International News, SatNews and Insider Media — plus regional coverage from Kent Online on the local jobs created by the new Lydd Airport facility.
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