The State of Online Digital Mapping, a Multi-Billion Dollar Travel Industry Vertical
In this video presentation below, Mike Lanza the founder and CEO of Streetography, provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of online digital mapping, who the players are and where the future lies. The video is both highly insightful for travel...
TraknProtect Panic Buttons alleviate employee safety concerns at hotels
Between the increase of gun violence in the U.S. to the spread of the #METOO movement, todays #1 concern for hotel operators is the safety of their guests and employees. TraknProtect, a TSI portfolio company is making a splash on the hotel scene, as hotels ramp up...
Travel Startups Incubator® Fund 1 2018 Update
We compiled metrics from our portfolio companies in Travel Startups Incubator® Fund 1 and are publishing some of the most important data. If you have an interest in investing in travel technology or your firm is looking to acquire travel technology, please feel free...
Frequency Wins the Eye For Travel Startup Award at the San Francisco Digital Summit 2018
Frequency a smart device communication system that will replace and augment existing communication tools currently in use in the airline industry using VoIP technology wins the Eye For Travel Startup Awards at the San Francisco Digital Summit. Frequency's customers...
Travel Startups Incubator® presents at the ASTA Premium Business Summit in NYC
Last week, TSI had the opportunity to present, "How Business Leaders Can Innovate in Travel," to ASTA's premium business members in New York City. The ASTA Premium Business Summit, is an exclusive annual event that allows its Premium Members to come together and...
Streetography, ABL, Flip.to present new destination marketing technologies at the Connect Travel Marketing Leadership Summit
On February 19th, in Orlando, Florida, Connect Travel held a conference on destination marketing with over 200+ DMO's attending as part of a 3-day marketing and networking conference. Travel Startups Incubator® kicked off the morning educational panel with a brief...
VoyHoy Wins the Future of Travel Summit Startup Award and Daycation Wins the People’s Choice
VoyHoy an online booking platform, enables users to compare and buy plane, bus, ferry, and train tickets throughout Latin America. VoyHoy won the Future of Travel Summit Startup Award in Miami, FL on February 12, 2018. VoyHoy offers a simple and secure means to...
Let the Acquisitions Begin
My earlier blog last month was prescient and great timing as the acquisition spree has started again in 2018 with a bang. 2018 will be the year of travel startup acquisitions. The larger travel companies are taking more risks and startup engineers are wising up. MEZI...
Pitch and Attend the EyeforTravel San Francisco Summit 2018 Startup Awards
Does your travel tech company have what it takes to succeed in the travel industry? Is your product, app or service a key weapon in your battle to win and engage travel consumers? The up and coming stars of travel tech will find out as they battle it out at...
Don’t Fight the Tape
In my 20’s during the .com run of the late 90’s, I traded IPO’s and wrote a book. One day, a guest staying at our fly-fishing lodge told me, “Matt, you can’t fight the tape.” He was hoping my publisher, John Wiley could get “Trade IPOs Online,” printed and in...
Travel Startups Incubator® Acquires Equity Stake in Photo Mapping Technology Streetography
Travel Startups Incubator® (TSI) is pleased to announce Streetography as its newest portfolio company. Streetography’s “place discovery,” mapping technology, helps increase travel booking conversions and user engagement through a form of social proof, by placing...
Pitch at the Future of Travel Conference in Miami, FL Feb 12th
Calling all Travel Tech Start-Ups. Do you have a Start-up in the travel tech space? Sign up for our Pitch Competition! Ten companies will pitch at the Future of Travel Summit, on February 12th, 2018 in front of 200 industry leaders and investors. The Future of Travel...
Amadeus and GoHero.ai launch the first ever chatbot with LINE messenger app
The @flightbot pilot in Thailand on LINE is powered by Amadeus Search technology, facilitated by GoHero.ai artificial intelligence technology. GoHero.ai is a TSI portfolio company based in India. Thailand is the second largest market for LINE. 33 million...
Dazzle edges out Bizly to win the EyeforTravel North America 2017 Startup Award
In what will go down as the most competitive head-to-head battle in EyeforTravel Startup Awards history, Dazzle a UK startup, edged out Bizly in the final seconds of voting to win 51% to 49%. Dazzle, is an AI powered, voice activated chatbot and hotel...
How to Pilot Travel Technology with Corporates
This year we’ve focused on helping our portfolio companies and advisory clients gain technology pilots and licensing agreements with larger travel companies. We won’t sugar coat it, it’s a tough road. We’ve successfully facilitated deals with GDS’s, Travel Management...
Help Develop the Next Generation of Airport Technology
Groupe ADP is looking for travel tech startups and the most innovative SMEs to be involved in building the next generation of airport infrastructure, resulting in airports that are both smart and eco-friendly. Do you have technology and products and services that...
Pitch and Exhibit at the Connect Travel Destination Marketing Leadership Summit Feb 19-21
We are pleased to announce that Travel Startups Incubator (TSI) will be presenting “Destination Travel Innovation,” a technology and innovation panel session at the Connect Travel Marketing Leadership Summit, a 3-day destination marketing conference in Orlando,...
TraknProtect and Flightsayer selected to present at Battleground Sept 12th
TraknProtect a TSI investment portfolio company and Flightsayer a TSI advisory company, will present their cutting edge, travel technology on Sept 12th at the Phocuswright Battleground. 16 travel startups will be presenting to win 2 spots at the Summit pitch session...
Now is the time to launch your travel technology startup
The old guard in the travel industry is embracing the startup ecosystem and new entrants are entering to assist travel startups. There is more pre-seed money and organizations catering to travel tech startups than at any time I can remember. When we launched Travel...
EyeforTravel announces Travel Startup Awards
Calling All Travel Start-ups & Innovators! EyeforTravel North America 2017 / October 19-20 • Mandalay Bay Las Vegas Travel Startups Incubator is excited to be the lead moderator and a sponsor of the Start-Up Awards for the EyeforTravel North America 2017...
Proxce mobile identity management software to power Taj Hotels, Palaces and Resorts
Proxce a TSI portfolio company announced a major deal this week to power 98 Taj Hotels, Palaces and Resorts with the Proxce mobile identity management software solution. Proxce’s mobile based real-world identity management software solution is an advance technology...
MIST.Asia partners with TSI to screen startups for the MIST Tourism Startup Bootcamp.
Travel Startups Incubator recently screened 100+ startups for the Mekong Innovative Startup Tourism (MIST) bootcamp, using our proprietary investment weighted methodology and MIST’s criteria of potential for investment. 18 tourism startups from Vietnam, Cambodia and...
Splitty Wins the Start-up Award at the EyeforTravel San Francisco Summit 2017.
Splitty won the Start-up Award at the EFT San Francisco Summit on Monday April 24th. The OTA splits your stay into multiple reservations for the same hotel to get you the lowest rate. Packetzoom a new technology protocol, speeding the load of a mobile application came...
Travel Technologies Wanted by Partners on the TravelStartups.net Deal Flow Platform
We have two new corporate partners on the TravelStartups.NET Deal Flow Platform looking for specific travel technology. If you have the following technologies please apply to the Deal Flow Platform so we can introduce you. Airlines Travel technology looking for:...
Nominations Open for EyeforTravel’s Start-Up Travel Awards 2017
Does your travel company have what it takes to succeed in travel? Is your app or product a key weapon in your battle to win and engage travel consumers? New travel brands will find out as they battle it out as part of EyeforTravel’s Start-Up Travel awards taking...
How the TSI Deal Flow Platform is helping Flightsayer gain traction.
At Travel Startups Incubator (TSI) we have spent the better part of 2-years thinking about how to improve the process of prospecting, vetting and investing in travel technology startups. Our thesis from the beginning has been to identify and support talented...
VISIT FLORIDA Digital Innovation Forum Recap
On Wednesday November 30th, Travel Startups Incubator (TSI) ran a travel startup pitch session at day one of the VISIT FLORIDA Digital Innovation Forum. TSI brought in 11 travel tech startups to present to 125 travel executives from around Florida. Expedia presented...
FlitWays Goes Public, Travel Startups Incubator® First Exit
FlitWays Technology Inc. has gone public. FlitWays trades publicly under the stock symbol FTWS. FlitWays Technology lead by CEO Tobi Mac and Director of Growth Zacky Hamraz has been growing fast and this summer their team decided the best route to raising capital and...
Airlines Technology signs commercial pact with British Airways for aggregation services
Airlines Technology (AT), an IT Solutions provider and portfolio company of Travel Startups Incubator has signed a commercial agreement with British airways (BA) to provide NDC (New Distribution Capability) aggregation services. AT’s aggregation services will enable...
The 13 Travel Startups Selected to Present at the VISIT FLORIDA Digital Innovation Forum Nov 30
Thirteen up-and-coming travel startups focused on local experiences, destinations and operations were mutually selected by Travel Startups Incubator and VISIT FLORIDA to present their companies and innovative travel technology at the VISIT FLORIDA Digital Innovation...
Travel Startups Incubator Acquires Equity Stake in Online Travel API Marketplace Yappes
Travel Startups Incubator (TSI) is pleased to announce Yappes as its newest portfolio company. Yappes is an online marketplace for companies to discover, compare and license travel technology APIs. Yappes provides an open platform where travel API's can be published,...
Beyond Pricing Wins Eye For Travel 2016 Start-up & Innovation in Travel Award
Beyond Pricing the most popular revenue management and dynamic pricing software for the $100B vacation rental and home sharing market wins the 2016 Start-up & Innovation in Travel award at Eye For Travel TDS America. Runner-up - Trusted Housesitters Trusted...
Last Seat & Together Travel Join the TSI Advisory Program
Travel Startups Incubator (TSI) recently launched an Advisory Program for seed-funded and later-stage travel startups. In this program TSI does not make a cash investment but provides paid advisory and professional services to travel startups, leveraging the full...
Travel Startups Incubator Acquires Equity Stake in Korean Adventure Travel OTA Yana Trip
Travel Startups Incubator (TSI) is pleased to announce Yana Trip as its newest portfolio company. The innovative adventure travel startup Yana Trip offers personalized online tour and activities scheduling to the growing number of fully independent Korean travelers...
Pitch your startup at the VISIT FLORIDA Digital Innovation Forum November 30th
We are pleased to announce that Travel Startups Incubator (TSI) will be running a travel technology demo day on November 30th as part of VISIT FLORIDA's 2-day Digital Innovation Forum. VISIT FLORIDA, the state of Florida’s official marketing corporation, serves...
Travel Startups Incubator Acquires Equity Stake in TravHQ an India Travel Technology Media Platform
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...
Biz Airlines Launches Travelligence a Mobile Airfare Booking App For Business Travelers
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...
Airlines Technology wins TravHQ Startup Knockdown
Airlines Technology, a Travel Startups Incubator portfolio company building NDC-compliant solutions to help airlines serve richer content to the end traveler, was the main winner of TravHQ's Startup Knockdown on July 7 in Kolkata, India. Prizes that the Airlines...
I don’t invest in husband and wife teams
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...
EyeforTravel’s Startup & Innovation in Travel Awards 2016 is open for entries
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...
Travel Startups Incubator Invests in NDC Aggregation Platform Airlines Technology
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...
Travel Startups Incubator Invests in Mobile Travel Chat App GoHero.ai
Travel Startups Incubator is pleased to announce our first investment in India with GoHero.ai. A standout among the growing number of Mobile Travel Chat (MTC) startups, smart personal travel concierge. GoHero uses a combination of artificial and human intelligence to...
Closing a Travel API licensing deal is not easy.
A Brave New World - The Connected Traveler & Travel APIs: Understanding the Legal Realities of Travel APIs Series by Emmanuel Vranakis a technology and startup lawyer. This blog is part of a series devoted to understanding the legal realities of travel APIs and...
Jumeirah Hotels Adopts Proxce’s Award Winning Proximity Identification Management System
TSI portfolio company Proxce has announced a partnership with Jumeirah Group to enable the luxury hotel chain to offer mobile check-in via smartphone as well as contextual experiences for their guests. “Proxce’s innovative technology is a powerful...
Introducing the TSI Platform
Today we are proud to introduce the TSI Platform: The first digital investment, advisory and innovation platform designed specifically to fund, advise, connect and help inspire travel technology startups. Here is a visualization of how we leveraged the Platform for...
Travel Tech Con on May 20, 21 in San Francisco, CA
Travel Tech Con is an independent conference in San Francisco organized by travel startup founders who find the lack of innovation in travel disturbing. They’re bringing together founders and leaders to talk about the technologies that transform and inspire travel...
Grabr Wins EyeforTravel’s Startup Awards SeatWizer Runner-up
Grabr won the EyeforTravel's Startup Awards and SeatWizer was runner-up as part of the 1-day Startup Village at the San Francisco Summit 2016. The Startup Village 1-day event included an entrepreneur panel, investor panel and 10 startups pitching. I was...
INTEREL WMS Wins HTNG TechOvation Award
By: Mike Coletta, Managing Director at Travel Startups Incubator I attended the HTNG (Hotel Technology Next Generation) conference in Amelia Island, Florida on March 1-3, 2016 participating as a judge at the TechOvation Awards along with 16 other judges from travel...
bd4travel and DUFL Win Travel Technology Europe Disrupt Awards
bd4travel wins the Travel Technology Disrupt award. See pics from the event below. DUFL wins the Business Travel Disrupt award. The Travel Startups Incubator team attended the Travel Technology Europe conference in London Feb 24,25. We helped market and sponsor the...
Do you have what it takes?
I was speaking with an investor on the phone recently. I described that we were raising capital to build Travel Startups Incubator into a $1B global business. I could tell right away he didn’t know much about travel technology. He had a lot of knowledge, passion, and...
Travel Startups Incubator Invests in Hotel Inventory Asset Tracking & Analytics Platform TraknProtect
Travel Startups Incubator is pleased to announce our investment in TraknProtect. Designed to ensure hotels know where their physical assets are located in the hotel at all times, TraknProtect’s proprietary technology provides real-time location of all the assets in...
Come Meet Us at Travel Technology Europe Feb 24, 25 in London
Startups, Corporate Partners and Investors please come meet the Travel Startups Incubator Managing Partners Matt & Nicole Zito at Travel Technology Europe February 24 & 25 at Olympia in London. We are stand #120E on the 2nd floor in the Disrupt startup area....
Travel Startups Incubator Launches Investment Operations in India
We recently announced our entry into India as a seed-stage travel technology with TravHQ.com a travel news media site for Indian travel tech startups. India is a large global market. 1.2B people with estimates of 300M-500M people coming into the middle class. As the...
Startup Village 2016: March 14 San Francisco – Eye For Travel Mobile and Innovation Summit
EyeforTravel's Startup Village consists of a morning bootcamp featuring conferences sessions with top travel entreprenuers as well as an afternoon Start-up Awards competition during which 12 travel start-ups will deliver a pitch to the judges, investors and entire...
Travel Startups Incubator invests in Biz Airlines a Business Travel Mobile Booking Solution
Travel Startups Incubator is pleased to announce our investment in Biz Airlines. Using embedded airline routing business intelligence, Biz Airlines offers executives the most cost-effective, efficient way to get where they need to go. Biz Airlines is a business travel...
An OTA Killer Arrives?
A new mobile travel application is infiltrating the consumer travel industry that we believe will change how travelers plan and ultimately purchase travel. We’ve coined this new travel application, “mobile travel chat” (MTC). Riding the waves of smartphone...
Travel Startups Incubator invests in PanTrek an Online Booking Engine for Inter-City Bus Transportation in Latin America
Travel Startups Incubator is pleased to announce our investment in PanTrek (BETA) an Online Booking Engine for Inter-City Bus Transportation in Latin America. The “Expedia of Latin America Bus Travel,” PanTrek provides company profiles, user reviews, and ratings, plus...
Proxce wins Most Innovative Startup Company at Phocuswright Travel Innovation Summit
Travel Startups Incubator portfolio company Proxce won "The Most Innovative Startup Company" at the Phocuswright Travel Innovation Summit, one of the most coveted travel startups awards in the world. Africabookings another TSI portfolio company had a fabulous...
Mike Coletta joins Travel Startups Incubator as Managing Director
We are pleased to announce that Mike Coletta has joined Travel Startups Incubator (TSI) as Managing Director. Mike will be opening up a New York City office for TSI, helping us on-board investors to our investor network, working with our startups and organizing our...
Travel Startups Incubator partners with the Islands of Tahiti to launch a Smart Tourism Nation
A new Innovation partnership deal among Tahiti Innovation Labs (TIL), Travel Startups Incubator (TSI) and the Ministry of Tourism for French Polynesia was announced today and will set the stage for the French Polynesian islands to become the next global tech hub and...