EQT Group’s Post

🎉Celebrating 15 Years of Transforming Travel Experiences 🎉 What started with a simple request—our Founder & CEO, Ken Harris, asking to upgrade his economy class ticket to an unused premium seat and being denied—sparked a mission to design a better way for travel operators around the world to create incredible travel experiences for their customers. Today, that idea has transformed into reality. Plusgrade’s solutions now power 200+ airlines, hotels, cruise lines, and rail operators worldwide, driving millions of smiles and billions of dollars. We’ve grown from a simple upgrade bidding platform to becoming the global ancillary revenue powerhouse. Our growth story is a testament to our three core values: Be Hungry — our never-ending ambition to raise the bar and deliver results. Partner Powered — our relentless focus on our partners, recognizing that their success fuels our own. Better Together — our commitment to embracing each other's strengths, bringing out the best in everyone. These principles work in harmony, propelling our continuous growth and achievements To our trusted partners, talented team, and all of our supporters along the way: Thank you for being the driving force that has allowed us to do our best work and create a true impact across the industry we love. Here’s to the next 15 years of innovation and growth in transforming travel experiences! 🌍 #15YearsOfPlusgrade #TravelTech #Innovation #Entrepreneurship

It’s with huge excitement that we can announce our Series A funding round has closed at £5M!  The oversubscribed funding round was led by Heartcore Capital - who invest in tech companies which bring happiness and enchantment to the world, including GetYourGuide, Travelperk, and Fora.  Not only will this investment in Byway bring huge opportunities to further the future of flight-free, by expanding our technology, team (keep an eye out for job announcements!) and regional offerings – but it also means we now have two more wonderful supporters of our mission to make flight-free mainstream. Max Niederhofer, General Partner of Heartcore Capital, puts it perfectly: “We felt called to support Byway’s mission to make tourism both more fulfilling and sustainable, and believe that its technology will become a key pillar for the next generation of online travel. We are thrilled to be supporting another world-class European team in travel.” Eka Ventures, which focuses on sustainable consumption, also participated, along with re-investing Byway angels, including the HERMESA angel syndicate, impact investor, Julia Davies, and Susan Hooper former SAGA CEO. The interest and enthusiasm we saw from investors during this round was hugely exciting. It shows a real shift in the travel industry – not only towards low-carbon modes of transport, but also into mindful, conscious journeys that benefit local communities and create happy travellers. The rapid rise in demand for sustainable travel is also a huge reason this investment round was so successful, so a massive thanks to all of the Byway early adopters and advocates. Whether you’re a customer, a partner or an investor: you are paving the way to a more sustainable future of travel and we’re so happy to be on this journey with you. We cannot wait to crack on with all the things this funding will open up to us. Keep your eyes peeled for new roles and launches as we transition into this exciting new era for journey-based travel. Onwards! 🚞

Learn what's next for Direct Travel after its acquisition by a VC name in the corporate travel space.

Congratulations to the Tollman family and all the employees of The Travel Corporation on this significant transition as Apollo Global Management, Inc. acquires TTC. This marks a new chapter in TTC's remarkable 100+ year history, and I'm excited to see the new opportunities that lie ahead for all involved. It's been a while since I read Stanley Tollman's "Recollections of a Lucky Man," but I'll be picking it up again to reflect on this momentous change. Large family-run travel businesses like TTC have always fascinated me, and working with them at Kaptio has deepened my appreciation for their legacy and impact. My initial thoughts and possible implications are: 1. Consolidation Trend: This move is part of a broader trend where industries, from tech to food to pharma, are dominated by a few major players. The travel industry, which has already seen significant consolidation with TTC itself being a key consolidator, is now advancing further along this path. Scott Galloway and Ed Elson speaks about this almost every week on their Markets Podcast, and it's interesting to see such a prolific player like Apollo get involved in our industry. 2. Positive Long-Term Impact: In the mid-to-long term, asset managers like Apollo often restructure and break up large assets. This can increase competition by allowing smaller, specialized entities to emerge, fostering innovation through fresh perspectives and new investments, and ultimately benefiting consumers with better choices and improved customer services through digitalization. 3. Future Prospects: How will this reshape the travel industry's landscape? Will Apollo’s involvement spur new strategic directions for TTC’s brands? Will this lead to enhanced consumer experiences and new travel innovations? How will this acquisition influence other players in the travel sector? Will they sell off brands and go lean-and-mean, aiming for an IPO? Or could we see strategic partnerships and further acquisitions to strengthen their market position? Congratulations again to everyone at TTC on this milestone. The future looks bright, and I'm eager to see the positive changes and innovations that will unfold in the multi-day industry. #travel #consolidation #innovation #Apollo #TTC #futureoftravel

🟢 Exoticca Secures €60M Series D for Multi-Day Tour Package Platform ➡️ Spanish startup Exoticca has raised a €60 million Series D round led by Quadrille Capital, showcasing the growing interest in digitizing complex travel bookings. The company's platform aims to revolutionize multi-day tour packages by offering real-time pricing and potentially reducing costs by up to 30%. Exoticca has seen impressive growth, doubling sales year-over-year since 2015 and now operates in eight countries, with a strong focus on the North American market. ➡️ The startup differentiates itself from competitors by providing a comprehensive solution that connects various travel components in one platform. With this new funding, Exoticca plans to expand its reach into Latin America, the Middle East, India, and China, further solidifying its position in the digital travel sector. Exoticca's success story highlights the untapped potential in modernizing traditional travel services. The substantial funding and ambitious expansion plans signal growing investor confidence in platforms that streamline complex travel arrangements, presenting exciting opportunities in the evolving digital travel landscape. #VentureNews

What can we learn from one of the fastest-growing tech startups in Europe? Avi Meir, CEO and co-founder of #traveltech unicorn TravelPerk, shared some insights at Tech Spirit Barcelona 2023 ↙ 🆕 As a startup founder, each day is the first one doing something new. You must be open to uncertainty and learn fast. 👣 "I didn’t start my journey to change a whole industry. While thinking huge at the beginning is good for investment decks, my focus as a #founder was on the everyday small steps."   🤝 Culture is your company's operating system. "I have an allergy to process... So how do people make decisions at TravelPerk? We rely on shared core values and ownership". Check out the full interview conducted by Toni Raurich-Marcet (founder and managing director of ebooking.com) at #TSB23 ⬇ https://lnkd.in/dmPS-eWa

Back in the 90s and early 2000s, everyone was into packaged tours, especially in Europe. eDreams ODIGEO had an excellent idea to sell unique tours online and create a social network where travel enthusiasts could be guides. But things didn't go as planned – few were into offbeat adventures, and dealing with tour operators via fax was too slow. Most startups would give up, but not eDreams. Check out the latest video from the AltexSoft team, which showcases eDream's strategic choices, expansion, achievement of unicorn status, and also how their success is attributed to a straightforward approach, AI-driven user experience, and adaptability to the subscription model throughout the company. https://lnkd.in/dWsej3EX #eDreams #travelbusiness #travelindustry #altexsoft #traveltechnology

You won't believe it, but I initiated a journey that turned a modest $100 into a staggering $4 million revenue within five years. This extraordinary adventure began just before the outbreak of COVID-19, shortly after I had left my position at the InterContinental resort in Phu Quoc. Fueled by a strong conviction that I could make a difference in helping travelers navigate more easily from one place to another, I embarked on this venture with nothing but my wife's support and that initial $100. Many might find it hard to believe, but achieving such success is indeed possible, and I'm living proof that you can do it too. Initially, I contemplated naming the company something that spoke solely to Vietnam, such as transfervietnam.com or airporttransfervietnam.com. However, a conversation with a friend would change my perspective entirely. He challenged me to envision serving not just a region, but potentially the entirety of Asia or even the world. His questions opened my eyes to the broader possibilities, and though it was hard to imagine reaching such heights at the time, I agreed with his broadened vision. Following his advice that the name of the company should endure and not limit future expansion, I settled on the name TravelThru. There was just one obstacle: the domain TravelThru.com was priced at $3,200—a sum far beyond my budget. Refusing to be deterred, I brainstormed alternatives and decided to add "My" to the beginning, resulting in MyTravelThru.com, which was available for a modest $12 per year. This decision not only fit my budget but also kept the dream alive. Fast forward five years, and it feels almost surreal to reflect on how that dream has flourished. Our Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) last year hit $4 million. In a move that felt like coming full circle, we were able to rebrand the company to TravelThru.com, the original domain name I had wanted—and, by a stroke of luck, it was still available. This journey highlights a powerful lesson: You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.

🌍 Did you know the global travel planning market is expected to reach $400 billion by 2030? 🌍 That’s billions spent on finding the perfect flights, accommodations, activities, and more. Yet, despite the growth of this massive industry, travelers still face the same old challenges: juggling countless websites, overshooting budgets, and dealing with a frustratingly fragmented booking process. That’s why we built Trekr. We’re bringing everything into one place—flights, stays, activities, and tours—all tailored to your interests and your budget. No more hopping between tabs or spreadsheets to track your travel plans. With Trekr, you can plan smarter, faster, and more seamlessly. The future of travel planning is here, and we’re just getting started. 🌟 #TravelTech #TravelPlanning #Startup #Trekr #TravelInnovation #FutureOfTravel