VIDEO: Solving a genuine multi-billion dollar problem in travel

There are a number of comments that often float about during travel startup pitch events - many of them not very positive.

From the reasonably constructive: "This is a feature, not a business."

... to the not particularly subtle: "This is a solution in desperate need of a problem to solve."

... and the downright brutal (courtesy of 27BSlash6): "Your last project was actually both commercially viable and original. Unfortunately the part that was commercially viable was not original, and the part that was original was not commercially viable."

In short: it's not easy being a travel startup, with low-level funding rounds apparently decreasing and the most recent gaps in the market filled, like their contemporaries ten to 15 years ago, with heavily funded and now fairly established players (Airbnb, Uber et al).

Consumer-facing startups, in particular, in the travel sector are incredibly hard to make successful.

This is perhaps why, in recent years at least, a lot of attention has turned to the so-called "plumbing" behind the scenes in the industry - solving problems that genuinely exist, with sometimes simple-sometimes difficult technology.

There are plenty of startups that are doing this, but one certainly caught the eye of its peers at The Phocuswright Conference in Florida last month.

Scooping a trio of awards (Travel Innovation, General Catalyst Award and People's Choice), Redeam is solving a fairly unsexy but important problem, and in a growing sector.

In fact, it's a problem that many in the wider probably wouldn't even think existed. But it does.

Redeam allows attractions to accept paper vouchers and mobile tickets from any re-seller using a tablet based validation tool.

The company's presentation to the judging panel at the event is worth a view, not least because it's a box-ticker on how to pitch a company.