Articles tagged “venture capital”

Analyzing startups and venture capital trends helps us glimpse the future of travel.

As an airline, AirAsia has led its peers in many metrics, especially on cost control. But its new effort to nurture startups has the odds against it. Will this effort bring strategic gains for the company? We’ll know in a few years.

Analyzing startups helps us understand what the future of travel holds. The latest generation of startups promises innovation across many facets of travel: hospitality, tours, airlines, business travel, and more.

To quote a smart venture capitalist, "Just because investment money is pouring in doesn’t mean all bets are good bets!” WhyHotel itself may be a well-run business, but the sudden rush of venture money into a full array of hospitality businesses does raise eyebrows overall.

Airbnb has built itself into the third most richly valued startup in the world over the last decade. But business never stands still, and as Airbnb harvests its gains, the latest generation of alternative accommodation startups are collecting all of the new venture capital in the space.

Would Airbnb and Uber, for example, be truly better off as public companies? It's unclear because they both have access to tons of money already. But they would both certainly be better equipped to spin their own narratives.

JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes knows there is nostalgia for the days before airlines introduced so many fees. But he said he is more focused on the carrier's other priorities: legroom, entertainment, and Wi-Fi.

The travel industry, no stranger to disruption, is experiencing a new wave of venture-backed startups. These businesses are generally larger than ever before and focused on bringing new customers and products into the digital travel fold. We expect this momentum to continue and for it to have an impact on executives, founders, and investors throughout the sector.

Having sold his business to Booking Holdings last year, former Momondo CEO Hugo Burge has had more time for venture investing. His views on travel startup funding are insightful. And we're not saying that just because we hope to be invited to see the gorgeous mansion in Scotland that he's been refurbishing.

Venture capital has definite appeal for founders looking to scale faster, but some black travel entrepreneurs would rather avoid that discriminatory world.