Skift Take
There's only one question you need to ask of a startup to determine its fate. Did it have a good pandemic? Holidu and its tech services brand Bookiply certainly did, thanks to their focus on the vacation rental sector.
Travel startup Holidu said on Wednesday it had closed a Series D financing round of $45 million. The Munich-based business, which focuses on the vacation rental sector, has now raised more than $120 million since its founding in 2014.
83North led the round, with Prime Ventures, EQT ventures, Coparion, Senovo, and other investors also participating.
Holidu got its start with its flagship product of a consumer price-comparison engine for finding vacation rentals. It recently added a subsidiary called Bookiply, which is both a property management system and a channel manager for holiday homes — catering to managers handling between 1 and 10 homes.
"Vacation rentals are a very competitive market and Holidu's growth throughout the pandemic has been highly impressive," said Laurel Bowden, partner at 83North and new Holidu board member. "We are attracted by their strong operating efficiency and proven ability to grow market by market."
Holidu said its search business became operationally profitable during the pandemic. In July 2020 alone, more than 27 million travelers used its website. The company said its bookings in 2021 are already significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels of 2019.
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