JetBlue Technology
Ventures, a subsidiary of JetBlue Airways, is investing in Transparent, which provides
market intelligence for the short-term rental industry.
The amount of the
investment is not being disclosed, but Transparent says it brings its total
funding to date to $2.8 million, with prior investors including K Fund,
Highgate Ventures and Kima Ventures.
Founded in 2016,
Transparent’s platform aggregates data on vacation rental market conditions
including prices, occupancy and competition to help property managers, investors,
online travel agencies and tourism boards make informed decisions.
The company says it
will use the funding to expand its commercial team.
For JetBlue Technology
Ventures, it says the financing aligns with its goals of “reimagining the
accommodation experience” and providing startup-led innovation for JetBlue.
“Given JetBlue’s interest in offering
short-term rental options to its customers and the travel industry’s recent
demand volatility, accurate data is imperative to making sound business
decisions. Our investment in Transparent not only provides us with valuable
insight in the short-term rental market, but also a partnership with one of the
leading startups in the vacation rentals space,” says Ryan Chou, investment associate
at JetBlue Technology Ventures.
Transparent says its system has indexed more
than 36 million listings globally and aggregated millions of anonymized
reservations. Clients and partners include Amadeus, Booking.com, Four Seasons,
Marriott, Hopper, the Hawaii Tourism Board and the Greater Miami Convention and
Visitors Bureau.
“During COVID-19, 25% of bookings occurred in
short-term rentals, accelerating a long term shift toward this form of
accommodation. JTV´s interest in our company is a reaffirmation of the vacation
rental industry having moved out of the shadow of the hotel sector to emerge as
a major player in the travel and hospitality ecosystem in its own right,” says
Pierre Becerril, Transparent co-founder and CEO.