StartUp tips

Twelve travel tech startups announced more than $147 million in fundraises in the past two weeks.

Every company in the travel industry is racing to build a “killer AI app,” but it isn’t clear which companies will win: today’s dominant players or cutting-edge startups.

Four tech startups involved with the travel industry announced fundraises of more than $31 million in the past week.

Four travel tech startups have announced nearly $12 million in funding over the past week.

10 travel tech startups announced over $78 million in funding over the past two weeks. 

Earning miles and points is easy for consumers who sign up for credit cards or special rewards programs. But knowing where and how to use those points to make their travel dreams come true has proven much more challenging – an estimated $30 billion in loyalty points go unredeemed each year.  

Three startups involved in the travel industry announced fundraises this week totalling more than $316 million.

Executives from two new airlines, Connect Airlines and Breeze Airways, shared their strategies at the Skift Aviation Forum in Dallas for starting up and pushing forward.

Five travel tech startups announced $62.1 million in funding this week.

Executives from the venture capital arms of three large travel companies — JetBlue, Alaska Airlines, and Amadeus — each shared details with Skift about what they are focused on in 2023 and going forward. 

The hotel tech startup Mews has raised $185 million, a number high above typical venture capital fundraises in that industry. 

Actor (and travel tech investor) Ashton Kutcher is at it again, as his Sound Ventures venture capital firm has co-led a $15 million investment in climate tech company Chooose.

Expedia Group has announced the first group of tech companies taking part in its new Open World Accelerator program.

Hydrogen-powered flight is one step closer to reality. Universal Hydrogen, which is developing a hydrogen fuel-cell powered commercial aircraft engine, has a green light from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to begin test flights.

TrekkSoft, a Swiss Saas startup for tour and activity providers has added Giant Monkey, a Berlin-based producer of visitor management solutions, to its stable.

Financial services company Brex is relaunching its travel booking platform after swapping agency partners.

Adam Harris, the CEO of hotel management software company Cloudbeds, has a great no-nonsense grasp of the macro – and micro – environment in the startup fundraising world, a fact that I learned in a few back and forth LinkedIn messages and subsequent calls between us gossiping about the travel tech startups that were raising money or got sold for pennies on the dollar in the last few months.

I have known Brian Harniman, the head of strategy at digital transformation agency From since the early days of Skift — he was amongst the first online travel veterans to latch onto the potential of what we were building. Harniman is a serial entrepreneur with over 25 years experience leading innovation in travel companies. He was on the founding team of Priceline.com and held executive positions at Kayak, Hickory Global Partners, Open List, Where I’ve Been, and more. He and I have talked about travel startups informally on and off for years.

Travel entrepreneurs know the grind when it comes to funding a startup. But the ability to get financial backing and support is said to compound when you are a founder bringing unconventional solutions for emerging markets, predominantly Black markets, that don’t fit the usual Silicon Valley bill.

The startup Heygo generated millions of dollars in income for tour guides during a time when their normal business was nonexistent. 

Three travel tech startups raised nearly $22 million over the past two weeks