Luxury Hotels Turn to Unlikely Tech to Fight Bedbugs
Photo Credit: Valpas, a Finnish startup that helps dozens of luxury hotels combat bedbugs, is telling investors it’s built a better trap in an unlikely way. Getty Images / whyframestudio
Skift Take
No one wants to pay ultra-luxe prices and be forced to think about bugs when they’re on vacation. That’s exactly why Valpas hopes it's created a better bug trap to allow guests to have a pest-free stay.
Valpas, a Finnish startup that helps dozens of luxury hotels combat bedbugs, is telling investors it’s built a better trap in an unlikely way. It uses the so-called internet of things, or the linking up of devices online to share relevant data and enhance the efficiency of the process.
“Valpas is a new hygiene and safety standard for hospitality, a mix of hardware, software, and label,” said Martim Gois, co-founder and CEO of Valpas. “The product is integrated into bed structures and scans the room, connecting the bed legs to each other and forming a mesh IoT [internet of things] network. Through the network, the hotel is notified about their rooms in real time.”
Founded in 2013, the company — which uses traps hidden in custom legs for the beds — closed a $1.74 million (€1.6 million) funding round in February. Investor ActivumSG Ventures led the round, backed by TESI, Realty Corporation, Maki.vc, Icebreaker.vc and Reaktor. Valpas has raised a total of $2.38 million (€2.2 million) in venture funding to date.
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