Travel Startups and Innovation News

PhocusWire's in-depth coverage of the startups in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry, featuring news, analysis, interviews, research and more.

Startups are a powerful force driving innovation across the travel industry—from AI-driven personalization and fintech solutions to next-gen mobility and booking platforms. PhocusWire delivers the most relevant travel startups and innovation news, spotlighting emerging companies that are rethinking the way people search, book, and experience travel.

Emerging travel startups and innovations driving the industry forward

Our coverage highlights breakthrough ideas, early-stage funding rounds, and strategic partnerships that bring fresh energy to the travel ecosystem. Whether it's reshaping trip planning, optimizing operations, or solving pain points across the journey, travel startups are challenging incumbents and building the future of travel with agility and purpose.

Startup Stage Tryps Tech
Interview / Startups
STARTUP STAGE: Tryps.Tech is digitizing tour and activity distribution for the Middle East
By Mitra Sorrells | July 12, 2019
Tryps.Tech is an online distributor of more than 14,000 tours, activities, attraction tickets, airport... Read More
startup stage spoton
Interview / Startups
STARTUP STAGE: SpotOn wants to make ride-hailing easy for pet owners
By Jill Menze | July 9, 2019
SpotOn is a pet-friendly ride-hailing service that matches animal owners with drivers to take the... Read More
startup-stage-setoo
Interview / Startups
STARTUP STAGE: Setoo wants to create love for travel insurance
By Linda Fox | July 5, 2019
The company's vision is to offer a B2B insurance service to online intermediaries so they build... Read More
cozycozy-funding
News / Startups
Cozycozy lands €4M in funding to launch accommodation search service
By Linda Fox | July 4, 2019
France-based accommodation startup Cozycozy is a metasearch for hotels, vacation rentals and other... Read More
ConnexPay 7 million series a
News / Startups
Travel payment startup ConnexPay raises $7M Series A round
By Mitra Sorrells | June 28, 2019
Travel payment solution provider ConnexPay has raised $7 million in a Series A round led by BIP... Read More
TripActions 250M series D
News / Startups
TripActions raises again, $250M round going to aggressive growth plan
By Mitra Sorrells | June 27, 2019
This latest investment comes less than eight months after TripActions' Series C round last... Read More
splyt-grab-funding-partnership
News / Startups
Grab helps with $8M investment in Splyt to expand partnership globally
By Linda Fox | June 26, 2019
Grab and Splyt say their shared vision is for travelers not to have to download local transportation... Read More
duffel series a round
News / Startups
Duffel raises $21.5M for yet-to-launch distribution platform
By Jill Menze | June 21, 2019
Benchmark, which has invested in companies including Uber, Twitter and Snap, led the Series A round,... Read More
Every innovator pitch from Phocuswright Europe 2019 - all in one place
News / Startups
Every innovator pitch from Phocuswright Europe 2019 - all in one place
By PhocusWire | June 19, 2019
Phocuswright Europe 2019 brought together a group of eager travel startups and established brands... Read More
Stride walks away with $2.5M in funding for multiday packages platform
News / Startups
Stride walks away with $2.5M in funding for multiday packages platform
By Linda Fox | June 14, 2019
Stride adds $2.5 million to its coffers and launches its TripFinder feature to match travelers to... Read More
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Precision and predictability for travel marketing: Essential visitor intelligence to drive growth
 In partnership with Zartico, this video series explores the latest trends and delivers practical... Read More
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Get real: The power of combining AI with authentic intelligence
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Changing traveler patterns, evolving customer needs drive demand for travel insurance
Travel protection is bringing peace of mind for travelers and positive rewards for suppliers.... Read More