There is a tremendous amount of talent to be found within the founders and founding teams of the current travel technology landscape.
Highlights from this year:
Beyond Pricing raised $42.5 million
for revenue management software tackling the short-term rental industry.
A $104 million Series C round closed for TravelPerk
, which also grew bookings by more than 300%.
Lonely Planet acquired social media startup TRILL
, expanding the company’s legendary offerings in the content space. Danish luggage storage solution
LuggageHero merged with New York-based Knock Knock City
, consolidating two high-growth companies for a global reach in a fast-growing category.
OYO raised $1 billion in a Series E round
, lending even more validity to a breakout hospitality startup with an unconventional business model.
PhocusWire works around the clock to analyze and report on those disruptors’ impact in the market, and how the travel landscape is changing day by day due to the influence of innovative new technologies and business models entering the scene.
Voyager HQ
focuses its entire year around providing support and resources to these dedicated changemakers. As the network grows, it gets a broad perspective on what the industry has to offer and what it still needs - and has the privilege of getting a close-up look at who is doing the work on disrupting it and how.
Last November, PhocusWire and Voyager HQ compiled a list of our
Hot 25 Startups for 2019
based on their proven ability to innovate, grow customers and expand geographically, as well as the quality of leadership teams.
Now, we’re excited to highlight even more companies that have shown potential to have breakthrough success in 2020.
The companies included on this list aren’t of a particular size, growth phase or amount of funding - though those all can indicate a startup poised for success. Like last year, we assessed using criteria relating to their potential to make a difference to their sector or market in the next 12 months, from significant PR traction to recent user growth to promising pivots.
Aside from the developments above, the landscape as a whole continues to grow and mature.
Phocuswright’s State of Startups
reports that overall funding for travel startups in 2018 reached $5.7 billion, an astounding 55% increase from the previous year. Forty percent of that went to B2B travel services, according to the report.
We guess you could say we’re optimistic about the future of the travel industry.
Here are some of the startups that have helped us confirm that belief this year (click on each for further details about the companies):
* We would like to thank our respective teams at PhocusWire and Voyager HQ for their help with compiling the 2020 list, as well as a number of the analysts at Phocuswright who put forward suggestions and assisted during the selection process.