Travel Startups Incubator is pleased to announce TravHQ as its newest portfolio company. The India-based media platform presents dynamic travel-related news as well as analysis of technology and other developments within the growing Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific regions to keep its readers updated on current technologies, travel startups, and other news in these booming tourism markets.
TravHQ managing partner Daksh Sharma, an industry expert on travel startup and technology trends, says, “India’s travel economy is booming and we are witnessing a number of travel-tech startups reshaping the experience of inbound and outbound travelers. At TravHQ, one of our missions is to bring these promising travel startups to the center stage and create an access pool for industry’s thought-leaders.
To date, we have tracked the growth of 150 travel startups in and around APAC. We are quite excited to join the TSI platform and explore the possibilities of creating new initiatives for the travel industry and also taking our founding event StartupKnockDown to international markets.” (more…)

Biz Airlines, a Travel Startups Incubator portfolio company funded in November 2015, officially launched their TravelligenceTM solution for increasing business airfare travel efficiency. Biz Airlines mixes and matches airport transfers, airlines and private jets to deliver time and cost efficiency for high-end executives.
Time is invaluable for top executives. Biz Airlines estimates that over 23 million hours are wasted every year just within our sweet spot audience, and that scheduled jet shuttles can save the business traveler at least 2 hours per trip.
TravelligenceTM is Biz Airlines’ proprietary algorithm which analyzes vast amounts of data to highlight the best flight options according to the traveler’s profile, including:
- Estimated hourly cost of the traveler
- On-time performance of airports (including security line, check-in and boarding times)
- Performance of airlines and each of their flights
- A productivity index of the aircraft (wi-fi onboard, power outlets…) which fly that particular route

The outcome of this data treatment rationalizes higher expense in order to deliver overall time and cost efficiency.
Biz Airlines is available to travel agents, having aggregated a whole new inventory of private jet shuttles to increase their service edge to the most demanding clients at attractive commissions
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By Nicole Zito, Managing Partner Travel Startups Incubator
From the age of nine, I knew I would be a business owner. After all my name Nicole, of Greek origin means “Victory of the people.” Actually, my mother named me after a character on her favorite Soap Opera. I always envy people who know exactly what they want to do from an early age. My cousin has known from high school, she wants to be a Speech Pathologist. My goddaughter age 17 is going to be a doctor. My husband, Matt Zito, will tell you I believe in destiny and signs. This is true, I always have believed it was my destiny to marry Matt. (more…)


Calling All Travel Startups & Innovators!
Las Vegas, NV – Twelve start-ups will have the opportunity to pitch to top industry investors at EyeforTravel’s Start-Up & Innovation in Travel Awards on October 6-7, 2016.
Taking place as part of TDS N. America 2016 at the Palms Las Vegas, successful applications stand the chance to receive much needed advice, funding and exposure against a backdrop of a new wave of innovation in mobile, data and technology.
EyeForTravel is one of Travel Startups Incubator’s Innovation Partners and Matt Zito, Managing Partner at TSI, will be a judge at the awards.
Attracting capital and generating a buzz around a product are among the major challenges facing start-ups today and all successful firms will have the opportunity to pitch in front of investors. The lucky top two selected by the judging panel will also have the opportunity to impress over 450+ senior travel executives during the keynote session on Day 2 of the event. Live voting by conference attendees will then decide the company to be crowned winner.
Not only have previous entries received funding as a result of the Awards, they have also had the opportunity to meet and do business with travel industry peers.
Entry costs $1,295 and includes access to both days of the TDS N. America conference, as well as the networking opportunities. More information and details on how to enter can be found on the EyeForTravel website.
All entries must be received by September 8th 2016.
For all event inquiries contact:
Julia Heighton
Global Conference Director
EyeforTravel
US toll free: 800 814 3459 ext. 7229
Julia@eyefortravel.com
Travel Startups Incubator is pleased to announce our investment in Airlines Technology Private Ltd., an industry innovator in India focused on the New Distribution Capability (NDC) initiative spearheaded by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Founded to help airlines and travel agencies serve rich, comparative content to travelers via the New Distribution Capability industry initiative, Airlines Technology is set to become one of the world’s most powerful aggregators of available airline products and services.
According to IATA, NDC promotes the use of industry-wide standards for improving the sale of air travel-related products to consumers and businesses. Due to the many shortcomings of trying to sell directly to travelers and corporations online, NDC was developed to help airlines promote their fares and many services directly to purchasers.
Airlines Technology, one of the first vendors in the marketplace to achieve Level-3 NDC certification, is led by software developer and data warehousing specialist Paras Kumar, IT specialist Smriti Kumar and financial services specialist Varun Bansal. The team works closely with TSI advisor/mentor Daniel Friedli of Travel in Motion in Switzerland.
According to Bansal, he and his two Airlines Technology co-founders recognized early on that NDC would be a powerful force for change within the aviation industry. “NDC is the way ahead,” he says. “We are working hard to create a long-term sustainable technology platform that not only helps airlines’ top and bottom lines, but gives consumers more choices and a better overall experience.”
Paras Kumar adds that airline partners “will have the ability to return content to any requestor” via the Airlines Technology aggregator through a network of select travel agencies and online booking engines. “Such content can include product descriptions, photos, audio, videos, as well as links to further product specifics.
“By using NDC,” Kumar explains, “we will give airlines full control over how their products are bundled, priced, and presented.” This will also give airlines the ability to adjust prices based on certain target audiences and other factors.
By allowing airlines to distribute content to more channels in a much more flexible way, Airlines Technology will also empower them to shift their distribution to lower-cost channels. As a result, travelers will have access to more air travel-related offerings than ever before.
According to Matt Zito, Managing Partner at Travel Startups Incubator, “Airlines Technology has a talented team of engineers and in a short period of time has built the beginnings of an aggregation platform for India OTAs and travel agency’s to access the new NDC schema. A larger trend in the travel industry we are focused on, as technology investors are the need by travel suppliers to go more direct to their customers. We are interested in investing in new technologies and business models that facilitate this larger trend. Airlines Technology new platform helps facilitate this movement.”