News

AltoVolo Releases Sigma Footage & Sets Date For Demonstrator

AltoVolo has released prototype flight footage and says it has completed a preliminary design review, with a full-scale demonstrator due by end-2026.

Published

1 month ago

May 4, 2026

Nour Nasir

AltoVolo

AltoVolo released flight footage of its Sigma prototype aircraft today and said it has completed preliminary design work, with a full-scale demonstrator targeted for completion by the end of 2026.

The two-seat hybrid-electric aircraft uses a tilting open-rotor propulsion system. AltoVolo calls the configuration HyperTOL — short for Hybrid Performance Takeoff and Landing.

The company said the preliminary design review is now complete, production aircraft details have been locked, and work has moved into detailed engineering and certification. The full-scale demonstrator is intended to support a manufacturing readiness review, though AltoVolo has not disclosed a build location or capital requirement for that phase.

AltoVolo also revealed that it has appointed a Head of Certification, and said the company has recruited aerospace personnel with experience on complex aircraft programs. AltoVolo says it is targeting full type certification and is engaging with certification requirements as the design moves into detailed engineering.

The Sigma’s open-rotor design has replaced an earlier electric ducted fan configuration following a study of performance, certification, and commercialization factors. The change is said to double hover time. Performance figures cited include a 165 mph cruise speed, 220 mph top speed, 500-mile hybrid range, 250-mile electric-only range, 45-minute hover endurance, 270 kg payload, and a maximum takeoff weight of 980 kg. Estimated takeoff noise runs between 65 and 70 dB(A) at 100 meters.

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AltoVolo noted that Sport Pilot certificate holders should be able to operate the Sigma with 25 hours of training, largely limited to fair-weather and daylight conditions. According to the company, license restriction has partly driven the two-seat rather than three-seat configuration.

The company’s funding round remains open; terms and investor details were not disclosed. AltoVolo said it plans to announce exhibition appearances in the coming weeks but gave no dates or locations.

Founder Will Wood previously led design at an unnamed US eVTOL startup in 2024. The company also cites earlier work supporting Aston Martin, Ferrari, and autonomous vehicle firm Wayve.

News

LUVED Is A New Curated Preloved Marketplace For The UAE

Sellers keep 100 percent of every sale and AI can build a listing in five seconds — though the app’s smartest tools are still coming.

Published

1 day ago

June 16, 2026

Joanna Melki

luved is a new curated preloved marketplace for the uae

Secondhand shopping has become mainstream in the UAE, but the experience is still scattered across resale sites, social media and informal group chats. LUVED, a mobile-first marketplace that launched in Dubai this month, is betting it can pull that activity into one place — and that the thing buyers and sellers actually want is not more inventory, but trust.

The app trades in what it calls circular luxury: preloved fashion and lifestyle pieces across men’s, women’s and children’s categories, bought, sold or given away peer to peer. Its main pitch is economics, with sellers keeping 100 percent of every sale under a zero-commission, fast payout model, while buyers are promised vetted pieces at lower prices.

Where LUVED is staking its reputation is verification. Sellers pass a KYC check, and items run through a two-layer authentication system powered by Entrupy that pairs instant AI screening with human expert review for high-value pieces. Authenticity certificates travel with each item, payments sit in escrow, and a buyer-protection package the company calls The Safety Net adds a 48-hour return window and dispute resolution. Door-to-door logistics removes the in-person meetups that make most resale deals awkward.

An in-app assistant called Luvbot — offering selling insights and demand-based recommendations — is soon to be introduced to the platform. Other features include autofill and dynamic pricing that lets users build a listing in as little as five seconds from three photos, plus a swipe-based feed, story-style drops and in-app chat in English and Arabic. Finally, a gifting layer, Luved & Gifted, lets users pass items to others inside the app rather than sell them.

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“After moving to Dubai, I saw how difficult it was to sell or even give things away,” says founder and CEO Shaima Sibtain. The friction is real, and so is the competition. In resale, trust is won transaction by transaction — and that is the test LUVED has set itself.

The app is live on the App Store now, with Google Play to follow. The company also plans to expand across the region, which will be the real test for a marketplace staking everything on trust.