Articles tagged “funding”

This week, travel startup Yanolja said it had raised $1.7 billion in funding. A few smaller businesses also raised funding, including Bookaway, which aims to link up ground and sea transportation booking systems.

A fresh batch of travel startups has raised funding for concepts that include next-generation tour packages, vacation rentals at architectural gems, live streaming as a travel sales tool, and video-based travel agents.

Private equity flooded the travel industry during the pandemic, but many startups looked to the government’s Innovate UK arm, which continues to put millions of pounds on the table.

It's reassuring that JetBlue Technology Ventures is still actively investing after founder Bonny Simi's recent departure. But it's a bit of a headscratcher to see Accor investing in Treebo for its hotel software, given that the hospitality group has its own tech subsidiary D-Edge.

If you're a French travel company right now, you very much want to be on Montefiore's radar, a $2.74 billion fund that's become a kingmaker through the Nov Tourisme fund.

This week, travel startups announced about $138 million in funding for concepts including a community-run homesharing service, insurance for peer-to-peer rentals of recreational vehicles, and a booking service for travelers with reduced mobility.

Investors are betting that the trend in renting RVs won't run out of gas after the pandemic wanes. They've funded Outdoorsy, an Airbnb-type service for recreational vehicles. Investors think the startup's new private vehicle insurance product will help accelerate the RV trend.

United's heft could help its new corporate venture capital unit, which will be like a barnacle on a whale. Unlike pure-play venture capital firms, United Airlines Ventures can invest for a truly long haul thanks to its strategic focus.

New startup Cabana is betting that the outdoor adventure sector can at least double in size with better product and service. It's interesting that Jason Calacanis and Paul English are backers because they've used this playbook before as entrepreneurs and investors in other sectors.

The American Airlines investment in Vertical Aerospace marks the aviation industry's broad support of more than a dozen startups building air taxis. But be skeptical of the hype that small, electric-powered aircraft will be in the skies anytime soon.