Skift Take
Most of the startups that raised money last week were focused on helping hotels and short-term rentals book more guests and smooth out operations.
Travel Startup Funding This Week
Each week we round up travel startups that have recently received or announced funding. Please email Travel Tech Reporter Justin Dawes at [email protected] if you have funding news.
Big investments in hotel tech are usually reserved for startups selling comprehensive systems like property management.
But investors clearly see value in simplifying the guest experience based on the latest funding round for Canary Technologies. Products like mobile check-in and AI-generated messaging address customer demand for high-tech experiences, as well as the big resource constraints that hotels still face post-pandemic.
Besides hotel tech, there's clearly still demand for companies that help hosts make short-term rental income. Three such startups from around the world announced millions in funding last week.
In total, six travel startups announced fundraises totaling over $75 million.
Canary Technologies: $50 MillionCanary Technologies raised $50 million in series C funding.
The round was led by Insight Partners, who also led Canary’s series B round in 2022. Other investors in the latest round included F-Prime Capital, Thayer Ventures, Y-Combinator, and Commerce Ventures.
“In a year that proved tough on growth and execution in the tech ecosystem, we saw Canary thrive and exceed their ambitious targets, prompting us to double down,” said Thomas Krane, managing director of Insight Partners, in a statement.