Startup club Voyager HQ is introducing a new exclusive labs program with travel technology company Fareportal aimed at empowering its global community of travel, tourism and hospitality entrepreneurs.
The New York-based company will add new offerings to its digital membership, including streaming content, educational workshops and white paper reports based on deep-dive discussions dedicated to specific challenges in the travel industry.
"The main challenge many enterprise travel brands are still facing is managing the integration and development of their growth initiatives,” says John Matson, managing director at Voyager HQ.
“We have found a way to manage that phase of the process and want to eventually bring it to the entirety of the industry.”
Voyager HQ is also planning an expansion of its networking events that are currently operating in New York, Miami, San Francisco, Austin, Boston and London.
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Matson adds: “By continuing to develop this resource, we hope that even more startups and established companies will also be able to gain meaningful relationships for their businesses on a global scale by leveraging Voyager HQ’s network.”
Launched in 2016, Voyager HQ connects startup founders, corporate partners and investors to create the future of travel.
Its global digital community encompasses more than 2,000 entrepreneurs in 400 cities.
Every year, Voyager HQ partners with PhocusWire to compile the list of the Hot 25 Startups in travel.
Voyager HQ is also planning to move into Fareportal’s new office space at the original New York Times Building in Times Square on March 31.
The initial projects for the travel innovation lab are expected to begin around that date.
Within the travel innovation lab, Voyager HQ says there could be new ways for how Fareportal’s products and services are leveraged by startups.
Says Sam S. Jain, founder and CEO of Fareportal and the co-founder and board chairman of Voyager HQ: “As Fareportal continues to grow, it will require more investment in new technologies and new business models.
“With our relationship with Voyager HQ, we’ll continue to make these investments and support the vibrant travel startup community, which we have worked so hard to build and is the first of its kind in New York City.”
To focus on these new initiatives, Voyager HQ says it will be pausing its Travel Disruption Summit in 2020, with plans to revisit the invitation-only industry conference in 2021.