Group travel planning startup TrovaTrip lands $15M to expand creator network

Portland-based travel planning and booking startup TrovaTrip has snagged $15 million in funding to bring more creators onto its platform.

Madrona led the Series A round, with participation from PSL Ventures, Oregon Venture Fund, Elevate Capital and Portland Seed fund.

Founded in 2017, TrovaTrip – one of PhocusWire’s Hot 25 Startups for 2022 – enables creators, such as Instagram influencers, to plan, sell and host group travel experiences with their communities. 

“Hosts” collect market data, such as where people want to travel and what their budget is, from their community and use those insights to select an itinerary organized by certified tour operator.

The TrovaTrip platform allows hosts to set their trip price, sell spots for the trip, manage bookings and market the experience. The startup offers more than 500 unique experiences, such as hiking in Patagonia and practicing yoga in Bali, in 49 different countries.

With the investment, the company plans to expand access to more creators and their communities as well as make platform enhancements.

“We’re excited for our partnership with Madrona and their breadth of experience working with exceptional companies,” says TrovaTrip co-founder and CEO Nick Poggi.

“With over 15,000 travelers booked to date, our hosted experiences are resonating with customers, but we’ve only scratched the surface of what’s possible as we continue to grow our community.”

TrovaTrip says it grew bookings 10x through the pandemic to $15 million in 2021 and has continued growth into 2022. Poggi says the traction is “a testament to our resilient team and innovative model that gives creators a very authentic and repeatable means of generating income via shared experiences.”

In August 2019, TrovaTrip raised $5 million from the likes of Barney Harford, former CEO of Orbitz Worldwide and former COO of Uber, and Eric Breon, founder of Vacasa. To date, it has raised $20 million.