Why This Travel Tech Founder Is Leaving the Industry
Skift Take
It's refreshing to hear startup founders and business leaders talk about their mistakes, what they learned, and what is next. It does not happen often enough.
Travel Tech Briefing
Editor’s Note: Exclusive reporting on technology’s impact on the travel industry, delivered every Thursday. The briefing will guide executives as they decide if their companies should “build, buy, or partner” to stay ahead.Adam Goldstein, former co-founder of travel price comparison service Hipmunk, said this week that he is shutting down his latest travel tech startup and leaving the industry.
He founded that startup, Flight Penguin, in 2021 as a browser extension that searches airline and travel agency sites and presents results in a single list. Goldstein and his Flight Penguin co-founder, Max Morlocke, decided to end the startup in light of financial struggles. Investors, who included former Hipmunk employees, agreed it was the best decision.
While the company is retiring, the browser extension is remaining active and the code is becoming open source, allowing other developers to use and build upon it.
“Instead of just taking our acorns and burying them, which is what the vast majority of startups do, we want to leave a gift for everyone who supported us,” Goldstein said.
Goldstein’s previo
