Startups

This week's travel startups, including YouTrip, GetYourGuide, Away, and Anyplace, announced more than $611 million in funding.

Away has so far managed the tricky transition to brand extensions beyond suitcases. The established travel goods industry will be watching with envy if the startup can continue to pull off its empire-building.

Planning and booking complex international trips remains a pain point, and Tourlane, Skylark, and TravelLocal are part of a growing wave of companies attempting to provide savvier solutions for travelers. Plus: funding news for authentic souvenir aggregator Rare Planet, serviced apartments provider Mint House, and sustainable mobility tech provider TransitScreen.

Masabi enables cities, such as Denver and Sydney, to sell tickets on public transit via the mobile apps of travel companies like Uber. Meanwhile, Elenium disrupts airport self check-in, Pana pivots into corporate travel, and Sweetguest surfs the growth in management services for vacation rentals.

This week’s startup funding announcements reveal broader industry investment themes, such as the need for marketing tools for the owners of short-term rentals and for talent recruitment technology to help fill labor gaps in the tourism industry.

Selina is riding a wave of venture capital investment like a dreadlocked surfer with remarkable poise. Come to Skift Forum Europe to hear CEO Rafael Museri explain how his startup may capsize the traditional hospitality model.

Two event tech startups, Bizzabo and Gather, have raised millions in funding to help businesses and restaurants manage and grow events. The companies are benefiting from a 2019 Megatrend that Skift summarized as "real-world experiences gain value in an era of tech burnout."

While Western media tends to focus on the funding moves of corporate venture capital arms of regional brands like JetBlue and EasyJet, it’s also important to see how key investment players in Asia, like Shanghai-based Fosun, are investing, such as in Splitty, a hotel booking startup.

The story of software maker Cloudbeds, named the fastest-growing travel and hospitality company in the U.S., points to a broader trend of smaller hotels adopting new tools to manage their properties.

Aditi Balbir, founder and CEO of V Resorts, has impressed investors with her take on asset-light hospitality management in India, like an Oyo for resorts. In a distinctive touch, the company uses and markets goods and furnishings made by local crafts workers.