A daily newsletter summarizing recent activity & interesting start-ups globally
RECENT NOTABLE ACTIVITY – ONLINE TRAVEL
- Cloud-based guest experience and management platform Keypr raised $19M in Series A funding round led by Karlani Capital. Link
- Hospitality software solution provider CloudBeds raised $9M in Series B funding round led by PeakSpan Capital. Link
- Noida-based V Resorts, an asset-light resort management startup raised $4M in a funding round led by Seedfund and RB International.Link
- Subscription-based travel booking platform raised $4M from Almaz Capital, Sistema VC and others. Link
- Singapore-based tours and activities platform, BeMyGuest raised undisclosed Series A funding round led by Raffles Venture Partners and Singaporean businessman Koh Boon Hwee. Link
- Private equity firm CVC Capital partners acquired Sweden-based online travel agency Etraveli for $568M. Link
- Japanese internet giant Recruit Holdings acquired Munich-based guest feedback management platform TrustYou. Link
SOME INTERESTING STARTUPS FOUND
LuxStay (2016, Hanoi) – Online marketplace for short-term rentals.
Smartbnb (2016, Brussels) – Automated guest communication platform for Airbnb hosts.
LEADER BOARD – ONLINE TRAVEL
Online Travel Agencies
Online Travel Agencies – Booking platforms
Priceline (1998, Norwalk, IPO) – Online travel agency offering booking and bidding for hotels, flights, and car rentals. Subsidiary of The Priceline Group. Went public in 1999.
Expedia (1996, Bellevue, IPO, Acq.) – Online travel agency offering hotels, flights, car rentals, etc. Acquired by IAC in 2003. 11 acquisitions. Went public in 1999.
Ctrip (1999, Shanghai, IPO) – Chinese Online travel agency offering booking for hotels, flights, car rentals etc. Acquired Suanya and Travelfusion in 2015 and ToursForFun in 2014. Went public in 2003.
Online Travel Agencies – Discovery
Kayak (2004, Norwalk, IPO, Acq.) – Travel search engine – helps users find flights, hotels, rental cars and cruise lines. Acquired SideStep in 2007. Went IPO in 2012. Acquired by Priceline Group for $1.8B in 2012.
Skyscanner (2002, Edinburgh, $197M, Acq.) – Travel search engine – helps users find flights, hotels, rental cars and cruise lines. Backed by Sequoia Capital and Scottish Equity Partners. Acquired by Ctrip in 2016.
Online Travel Agencies – Holiday Packages
Qulv (2012, Shenzhen, $60M) – Provides holiday packages to Chinese travelers who are traveling abroad. Backed by Yuantai Changqing Fund.
TravelBird (2010, Amsterdam, $59M) – Enables booking of holiday packages to destinations around the world. Backed by Rocket internet.
Transport
Air travel – Flights
Hopper (2007, Montreal, $95M) – Provides data-driven research and analytics to help travelers determine when to fly. Backed by Brightspark Ventures, Atlas Venture, OMERS Ventures.
Onetwotrip (2011, London, $42.5M) – Online travel agency using a global network of IATA agencies for ticketing. Backed by Phenomen Ventures, Atomico, Goldman Sachs.
Yapta (2007, Seattle, $25M) – Travel website and browser add-on that lets users track flight prices. Concur Technologies, First Round Capital, W Media Ventures, Amadeus and others.
Farecast (1999, Seattle, $21M, Acq.) – Provides users with airfare predictions. Acquired by Microsoft in 2008. Backed by Sutter Hill Ventures, PAR Capital Management, Pinnacle Ventures, Greylock Partners, Madrona Venture Group.
Air Travel – Private Jets
WheelsUp (2013, NYC, $171M) – Online travel company which offers private jet booking to guests based on membership. Backed by Rowe Price, Fidelity Investments, NEA.
JetSmarter (2012, Fort Lauderdale, $157M) – Online marketplace for private jets. Backed by Saudi Royal family and executives from Goldman Sachs and Twitter.
Cruises
Dreamlines (2011, Hamburg, $72M) – Online marketplace for cruises. Backed by Hp-Ventures and Targetglobal VC.
Trains
Trainline (1997, London, Acq.) – Online platform for booking train tickets across Europe. Acquired by KKR in 2015.
Bus
Redbus (2006, Bangalore, $10M, Acq.) – Online platform and mobile app for booking bus tickets in India. Backed by Inventus capital, Seedfund India and Helion VC. Acquired by Ibibo group for $125M.
Busbud (2011, Montreal, $10M) – Online and mobile app based marketplace that connects travelers to bus operators. Backed by Real Ventures, iNovia Capital, White Star Capital and others.
ClickBus (2013, Sao Paulo, $10M) – Online portal and mobile app for booking bus travels. Backed by HV Holtzbrinck Ventures, Rocket Careers, Tengelmann Ventures.
Car Rentals
BlaBlaCar (2004, Paris, $312M) – Car sharing platform for intercity travel. Backed by Accel partners, insight partners and index ventures.
Accommodation
Hotels – Marketplaces
Booking (1996, Amsterdam, Acq.) – Marketplace for accommodation booking around the world. Acquired by Priceline Group for $135M in 2007.
HotelUrbano (2011, Rio de Janeiro, $135M) – Marketplace for hotels and travel packages focusing on Latin America. Backed by Insight Venture, The Priceline Group and Tiger Global Management.
HotelTonight (2010, SF, $117M) – Mobile-based platform for same day hotel bookings. Backed by Accel, GGV Capital and others.
Hotels – Discovery
Room77 (2010, Mountain View, $44M) – Online hotel search and booking platform. Backed by Felicis, General Catalyst, Expedia and others.
Asset Light Hotels
OYORooms (2013, Gurgaon, $193M) – Asset light Hotel chain for budget accommodations operating across India. Backed by Lightspeed Venture, DSG Consumer Partners, Sequoia and others.
ZoRooms (2014, Delhi, $46M, Acq.) – Chain of asset-light standardized branded budget rooms in India. Acquired by OYO Rooms in February 2016. Backed by Tiger Global, Orios Venture, Sol Primero.
Vacation Rentals – Marketplaces
Airbnb (2008, SF, $3.4B) – Vacation rental marketplace currently valued over $25B. Acquired Lapka, and Vamo in 2015. Backed by TPG Growth, Sequoia, Greylock Partners and others.
HomeAway (2004, Austin, IPO, Acq.) – Vacation rental marketplace. Has 20 acquisitions under its name.Went IPO in 2011. Acquired by Expedia in 2015 for $3.9B.
Vacation Rentals – Discovery
Couchsurfing (2004, SF, $23M) – A global community of 10 million people for vacation rental listings. Backed by Benchmark, General Catalyst, Lumia Capital and others.
Hostels
Hostelworld (1999, Dublin, IPO) – Online marketplace for hotels. Went public in 2015.
Tours & Activities
GetYourGuide (2009, Berlin, $95.5M) – Mobile and online marketplace for tours and activities. 2 acquisitions. Backed by Sunstone Capital, Highland Capital, Spark Capital and others.
Zozi (2007, SF, $51M) – Platform to discover and book activities and experiences around the world with expert guides. Backed by 500 Startups, Forerunner Ventures, Silicon Valley Bank and others.
Travel Planning
Professional – Content
Zvents (2005, San Mateo, $31M, Acq.) – Provides local guides for cities around the world. Acquired by Ebay’s Stubhub in 2011.
Professional – Organizer
TripIt (2006, SF, $13M, Acq.) – Enables users to create a master travel itinerary and provide them with online and mobile access. Acquired by Concur for $120M in 2011.
P2P
TripAdvisor (2000, Massachusetts, IPO, Acq.) – Online travel guide that offers user-generated reviews on hotels, restaurants, attractions and other travel-related businesses. Acquired by IAC in 2004. Went public in 2011. 21 acquisitions.
Enterprise
Amadeus (1987, Madrid, IPO) – Provider of technology for online travel industry. Went public in 2010.
Sabre (1960, Southlake, IPO, Acq.) – Retails travel products and provides distribution and technology solutions for the travel industry. Acquired by Silverlake in 2006.Went public in 2014.
Duetto (2012, SF, $63M) – Provides revenue management SaaS solutions to hotels and casinos. Backed by Accel, Battery, Benchmark and others.
Leader board includes all the top funded, IPO and successfully running bootstrapped companies along with their location, founding year and funding amount.
For latest update, visit Online Travel feed.