As borders reopen and travel activity accelerates, a feeling of optimism – tempered with caution – is beginning to surface.
We hear it from the leaders of global brands as they report their companies’ financial results, from industry analysts such as our sister brand Phocuswright as they survey consumers around the globe and from investors, who are pouring cash into travel startups at a brisk pace in recent months.
According to Phocuswright’s 2021 State of Startups report, publishing today, from January through the third quarter of this year, travel startups have added $5 billion in capital from investors – a demonstration of their confidence in the industry and their desire to reap a benefit during the rebound.
As PhocusWire has done for the last three years, on this first day of The Phocuswright Conference we present our annual list of the Hot 25 Startups for 2022. You can also read our past selections from 2021, 2020 and 2019.
As we considered startups to feature in this list, we looked for indicators of momentum during the past year – in effect, defying the odds of the pandemic – as well as innovation and potential to grow in the near future.
We lean toward early stage startups, nearly all no more than five years since launching, and we have made a conscientious effort to feature companies that represent diversity in the sector served, headquarter location and founders.
The companies on this list span a range of sectors and services – from pricing and revenue management to airports and corporate travel. Naturally, some represent topics that have gained traction in the past couple of years, such as sustainability, inclusion, blockchain and – arguably the hottest sector during the pandemic - alternative accommodations.
For each of the companies on this year’s list, we are sharing details provided to us by the founders in their own words – a description of the company, strategic goals for 2022 and lessons learned over the course of the past year. We’ve also included links to PhocusWire’s past coverage of these startups, as applicable.
Click on the company names below for details about each startup, what they have been doing and what they plan to do in the coming year...