A Buser intercity charter bus is shown here in a parking lot in Brazil’s capital city of São Paulo in early 2019. Buser is a startup that plays matchmaker with travelers looking for intercity travel in Brazil and charter companies that can respond on-demand. Buser Skift Take: By investing in bus booking company Buser, SoftBank … [Read more…]
Aero CEO Uma Subramanian is shown here speaking on the Wheels to Wings panel at a ClimateOne event in San Francisco in August 2019. The company has raised $16 million in funding for next-generation chartered air service. Aero Skift Take: This week, the startups Aero, TravelBank, Impala, Quicko, and Fyle together announced more than $45 … [Read more…]
Some workers at the Lisbon office of Unbabel, a translation service provider that has received more venture funding. Unbabel Skift Take: In the past week, travel startups raised more than $100 million in funding. The companies Unbabel, Beyond Pricing, Travel Easy, Air Doctor, Seatfrog, Cruisewatch, HappyOrNot, Landline, Planet O, and Go Zayaan look to go … [Read more…]
A two-bedroom “aparthotel” from Citadines in Xi’an, China. Citadines Aparthotel is one of the brands of Chengjia, a company that raised $300 million in Series B investment this week. Citadines Aparthotel Aparthotel Skift Take: This week, travel startups announced more than $433 million in funding. Companies included Chengjia, Holidu, AvantStay, WanderJaunt, Lavanda, Kambr, Amenitiz, and … [Read more…]
VoloCity is an aircraft that that might carry two people plus luggage for about 50 miles. It is the lead product of Volocopter, a German startup that has just raised $55 million in additional funding. Volocopter Skift Take: This week, travel startups Volocopter, Atlas Obscura, KKDay, AmazingCo, Living Map, Sojourn, and Davinci Travel Systems announced … [Read more…]
A whiteboarding scene from the new Denver headquarters of Hotel Engine, a startup that offers online lodging management for businesses. Hotel Engine has raised $16 million in Series A funding. Hotel Engine Skift Take: The funding of business travel management startup Hotel Engine underscores how there’s a lot of money and energy pouring into the … [Read more…]
Israel’s Jaffa Port, with Tel Aviv’s hotels in the background. Smartair, an Israeli travel startup, has raised a $6 million round of funding. Dana Friedlander / Israel’s Ministry of Tourism Skift Take: This week travel startups announced more than $46 million in funding. Of note, two of the companies, Smartair and Tastemakers, are making bets … [Read more…]
A view of the Beijing office of Zhiketong Technology, a direct marketing tech company that helps hotels sell rooms on the WeChat platform. The startup is one of a few that recently announced funding. Zhiketong Skift Take: Zhiketong stands out for receiving investment from top-tier investors and travel companies. The company helps hotels and other … [Read more…]
A traveler in London uses Airportr, which checks in and delivers bags for flyers. The startup has raised $8.6 million (£7.1 million) in total for its Series A. Airportr Skift Take: Investors have bet on some innovative business models. AirPortr has hand-delivered about 100,000 bags from homes to airports, lifting a worry off the hands … [Read more…]
A scene from an event last year at the venue NuBel in Madrid, which was advertised on the booking site Fever. The event tech startup Fever, which studies consumer data to recommend experiences for booking and helps companies plan events, has raised a $35 million round. Fever Skift Take: This week travel startups announced more … [Read more…]