Travel big data specialist Boxever is eyeing Asia Pacific for expansion as it announces $6 million in funding led by Polaris Partners.
Dublin-based Boxever, which was founded in 2012, helps airlines and other travel companies use data to offer a more personalised experience and targeted services to customers.
Frontline Ventures also participated in the round.
Boxever, (TLabs here) has also announced Asia's Tigerair as its latest customer with the airline's chief operating officer Alexander Knigge saying it would use the startup's technology to understand customers' purchase behaviour and 'personalise online and email interactions in real-time.'
Boxever boss Dave O'Flanagan says:
"Airlines have access to vast amounts of untapped structured and unstructured information about their guests and very few are using this effectively.”
He added that the funding would enable the startup to accelerate its growth and hinted at the opening of a new office in the Asia Pacific region where Boxever has been gaining most traction.
Tigerair started using the company's technology last year and O'Flanagan says a further four airlines and a major online travel agency are carrying out trials of the product.
Funds will also go towards hiring more talent particularly data scientists. Boxever has hired more than 20 people in the past six months with a current headcount of 25 and expects to double its employees in the coming year.
O'Flanagan says:
"We can see for the first time there is real pull for our product. Two years ago I felt I was pushing the whole time. Airlines recognise they need to make sense of the data we are sitting on and that there is real value in understanding what customers want."
He adds that enhancements are coming in in-cabin personalisation and the company is having 'discussions' around optimising the lounge experience.
A Boxever statement says the company analyses 60 million guest profiles and billions of individual shopping, purchase and support interactions daily.