Presto Phoenix Inc., which provides a voice AI solution for QSR drive-thrus, has raised $10 million from Remus Capital-affiliated investors and other existing investors. The capital will be used to expand deployments, technology, and customer impact. The round follows Presto's recent integration with Toast and other AI partners including ElevenLabs and Bluejay, and continued expansion of deployments with existing and new QSR customers.
Hospitality Technology's QSR section rounds up restaurant technology developments: Presto raised $10 million to accelerate voice AI; global QSR kiosk deployments head toward 750,000; Presto Voice AI integrates with Toast POS; Omilia's founder discussed scaling voice AI from single-store pilots to 890+ drive-thrus; and Pilot is updating digital ordering and adding kiosks across 900 North American travel centers.
EU Commissioner Lahbib addressed the G20 High-Level Independent Panel in New York on financing pandemic preparedness and response. Citing the Ebola outbreak in Bunia, she stressed the importance of speed and community trust. The EU provided nearly EUR 500 million, combining emergency assistance with longer-term health security investment, and ran 11 Humanitarian Air Bridge operations. The EU is working with the OECD and WHO to improve tracking of preparedness spending, with a pilot to launch in coming months. It also pledged over EUR 73 million for new vaccines in 2026-2027, including nearly EUR 40 million for Bundibugyo-specific candidates.
Sloan Dean, former CEO of Remington Hospitality, has founded AI Hospitality Group (AIHG), a Dallas-based hotel management company that plans to use software and agentic AI to automate many operational processes and reduce reliance on managers. The startup has been designing operations for three hotels since June and plans to take over management of its first properties later this year. AIHG has raised $7.5 million in seed funding, with participation from Rackhouse, the venture firm founded by Kevin Novak. Dean expects a 500-basis-point improvement in gross operating profit margin at an independent, full-service hotel, against an industry average he puts at roughly 33% to 39%. Its fee model…
Tongcheng Travel and Ping An Bank signed a strategic cooperation agreement to explore joint models across finance, insurance, commerce, health and technology, embedding integrated financial services into the full journey of planning, booking, travel, destination life and industry-chain treasury management. Cooperation areas include integrated finance, settlement and cash management, and financing services. The two sides plan to prioritise pilots in travel management, credit-card travel benefits, supplier finance and cash management before extending to cross-border travel and direct corporate financing.
Latvia's AirBaltic has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S., seeking court protection from creditors to restructure its debt. The airline filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, saying flights will continue as scheduled and tickets, reservations and customer service are unaffected. It expects the process to take until around June 2027. AirBaltic has secured a commitment for €350 million ($404 million) in new financing to support operations during restructuring.
Atlanta independent restaurant Ruby Chow's selected SpotOn as its restaurant technology partner, adopting SpotOn's POS platform, reporting and capital financing. Leadership cited faster customer support, more detailed reporting and lower financing costs as reasons for the switch. Ruby Chow's moved from Toast to SpotOn; General Manager and Partner Brian Seo said SpotOn provides a dedicated account manager with faster support, deeper reporting tools, and automated tip calculations that save about 90 minutes each night. The restaurant also used a SpotOn Capital loan to consolidate existing debt into a single payment, with repayment adjusting to sales. According to the National Restaurant Assoc…
Airline revenue management technology company TravelX has secured an investment from Latin American venture capital firm Kaszek and closed its Series A round. The total investment amount was not disclosed but was described as 'substantial', bringing TravelX's total funding to $45 million. The capital will be used for product innovation, expansion of its AI platform, and strengthening its global commercial presence.
Palona AI announced its multimodal AI operating layer for physical businesses, starting with restaurants, and secured $20 million in funding. The platform connects customer demand with live operational data to automate workflows. Current customers include Din Tai Fung, Mountain Mike's Pizza, and others. At Cali BBQ, Father's Day revenue increased 20% year-over-year.
Entravel Group has raised $7.5 million in funding co-led by Ethereal Ventures and Finality Capital. The travel infrastructure provider has launched over 40 white-label travel booking portals for crypto exchanges, fintechs, and enterprise platforms, including Kraken, MetaMask, and Swiss corporate benefits network Digt AG. The funds will expand supplier credit lines, increase booking volume processing, and support commercial expansion into traditional corporate travel and non-crypto enterprise channels. Its infrastructure stack includes MocatravelX for direct contracting, Ratestellar for AI-powered mapping and normalization (aggregating 2.2M+ hotel properties), Entravel for white-label bookin…
Denmark-based Entravel Group has raised $7.5 million in funding led by Ethereal Ventures and Finality Capital. The investment will be used to secure larger supplier credit facilities, process higher booking volumes, and expand its white-label model into traditional travel, as well as support the launch of a stablecoin-enabled financial layer for settlement, treasury, and working-capital finance. Through its three connected businesses—MocatravelX, Ratestellar, and Entravel—the company provides white-label infrastructure, giving partners access to over 2.2 million hotels.
Swiss startup Zerolook raised $1.9 million in pre-seed funding for its machine learning product that predicts flight prices and itineraries, aiming to reduce search volumes on airline systems. According to OAG, up to 20,000 searches are currently needed to generate one ticket sale, and agentic AI could push that to 200,000. Zerolook's model is trained on historical fare, schedule, and availability data, providing predicted itineraries and prices with confidence scores.
Autonomous vehicle mobility specialist Moove has raised $250 million in Series C funding at a valuation of $2.1 billion. The round was led by Mubadala Investment Company and co-led by Woven Capital, Toyota's Growth Fund, and Ion Pacific. The funding will boost Moove's AV expansion, including autonomous fleet ownership and establishing 'Nests' depot infrastructure, as well as expansion into new markets, including AV workforce growth of more than 220% to approximately 500 by the end of 2026.
Travel protection platform Faye announced $50 million in Series C funding led by Madrona, bringing total funding to $100 million. The capital will be used for market expansion, partnerships, and AI investment to make underwriting, traveler assistance, and claims faster and more autonomous. The company anticipates AI will resolve more than half of all claims by the end of 2026. Faye also plans to expand its travel fintech capabilities.
Shower Stream closed a $2 million seed round to expand its smart shower technology. The device pauses water flow during warm-up using radar sensors, reducing water and energy waste by over 20%. Deployed in 500+ rooms, saving an average of $30,000 per property annually.
Ground transportation specialist Busbud secured $40 million in credit financing from Vista Credit and formed a new parent company, Terra Mobility, combining Busbud, Buson, Recorrido, and operator OS TerraOS. TerraOS offers ticketing, inventory management, AI-powered revenue management, and demand forecasting. Erik Blachford was named chairman, and Sam Shank joined the board. Terra Mobility has 270 employees across 26 countries, connecting over 100 million travelers with 4,000 operators.
Travel startup funding was relatively quiet in Q2 2026, with deals concentrated in seed and Series B rounds, and one notable Series C. Notable Series B rounds include hotel tech company Smartness raising €47 million and India-based hostel company The Hosteller announcing $16 million. WeRoad secured a $58 million Series C led by Airbnb. Clarasight raised an $11.5 million Series A. Despite the seeming lack of funding, investors are bullish on the outlook. Phocuswright data shows funding reached $1.7 billion in the first five months of the year, up from $1.1 billion in 2025. On the M&A front, Expedia Group's acquisition of CarTrawler, Juniper's acquisition of Deem, and Lighthouse's acquisition…
AI-powered vacation planning and booking tool 30 Sundays raised $6.7 million in Series A, bringing total funding to $7.5 million. Led by Bessemer Venture Partners, with existing investors Info Edge Ventures and Eximius Ventures increasing stakes. India-based, it offers video itineraries and conversational interface, with annualized gross booking value over $20 million from four destinations. Funds will boost product, tech, AI teams, marketing, and expand to new geographies and family segments.
Meadin Research released its Q2 2026 report on cultural tourism group investment and financing. It shows 79 signed investment projects with disclosed amounts totaling 18.971 billion yuan, and 49 financing projects totaling 38.156 billion yuan, up year-on-year. Investments focus on agriculture-tourism integration and complexes, while financing uses medium-term notes and private placements.
At Phocuswright Europe 2026, investors said AI remains the biggest buzzword, but software alone is no longer a moat. Startups need to integrate AI into their own systems and workflows, not just as a wrapper. Companies like Nuitée have successfully raised capital through partnerships.
Fora, a technology platform for travel advisors, has closed a $60 million Series D round, valuing the company at $1 billion. The funding will scale its AI assistant Via, which helps advisors with destination research, supplier info, itineraries, and proposal generation. Advisors have booked over $3 billion in travel since launch in 2021.
San Francisco-based superapp Super.com secured $65 million in Series D funding led by TPG, valuing it at $1.2 billion. Funds will expand product categories and Super+ membership, and invest in AI for personalization. The company became profitable in 2025 with 50% revenue growth.
Australia-based startup Chaty AI has raised $1.15 million in seed funding to expand its conversational AI platform for tours, activities, and attractions operators. The platform offers an AI-powered virtual phone assistant that can answer questions, access live availability, and facilitate bookings. The company also launched a website chatbot that can be embedded into operator websites for multi-channel customer interactions. The funding will be used to accelerate product development, grow the engineering team, and expand globally.
Besty AI, specializing in AI automation for short-term rentals, closed a $3.75 million seed round led by Armory Square Ventures. Funds will be used for product development and sales/marketing.
PhocusWire released its 2026 list of top travel tech investors, based on activity from May 2025 to May 2026. Investors now prioritize profitability and AI-native startups over the 'travel planning is hard' narrative. Travel tech funding dipped below $5 billion in 2025, but reached $1.7 billion by May 2026. Thayer tops the list for the third year, with corporate venture arms like United Airlines Ventures active.
Perk, the corporate travel and spend management platform formerly known as TravelPerk, has secured a $300 million private credit facility led by Neuberger Specialty Finance, with participation from Blue Owl Capital, Hercules Capital and Liquidity. The facility increases and replaces Perk's $134 million credit facility from mid-2024. Perk said it exceeded $300 million in annualized revenue and grew revenue 48% in 2025. Funds will support product, technology and AI investment; AI deployment has helped lift gross margins from 40% to the mid-70s in three years.
Perk (formerly TravelPerk) announced the close of a $300 million private credit facility led by Neuberger Specialty Finance, with Blue Owl Capital, Hercules Capital, and Liquidity. Proceeds will accelerate investment in product, technology, and AI, supporting global expansion including the upcoming US launch of its integrated spend platform. Perk grew revenue 48% in 2025, surpassing $300 million in annualized revenue, with gross margins improving from 40% to mid-70s.
Pricepoint, an AI-driven revenue management platform for accommodations, has closed a $6.6 million seed round led by Brightspark Ventures with participation from Boreal Ventures and AQC Capital. Founded in 2019, it provides real-time pricing optimization for hotels, hostels, and short-term rentals. Funds will be used for product, engineering, and AI infrastructure, plus additional integrations.
Adventure travel specialist WeRoad has raised $58 million in Series C funding led by Airbnb, with existing investors participating. The Italy-based company's total funding now stands at $100 million. The investment will fund expansion into the U.S. market, its first push beyond Europe. Over 300,000 travelers have used the platform since its 2017 launch.
OneReg, an aviation compliance platform, secured $4.4 million in Series A funding co-led by Alterned Capital and Co:Act Capital. The funds will accelerate expansion into the UK and Europe, and boost sales, customer success, and product development. Founded in New Zealand in 2020, OneReg is used by airlines and airports across New Zealand, Australia, the Middle East, and the US, with triple-digit revenue growth.
Overwatch AI, a startup building AI tools for airline operations, raised $1.5 million in pre-seed funding from investors including United Airlines Ventures and Baobab Ventures. The platform helps pilots, cabin crew, and operations managers retrieve operational information using natural language, consolidating technical issues, airport requirements, weather assessments, and more. The company claims its platform saves airlines up to $4 million per year and yields a 6.6% increase in crew productivity.
Italy-based Smartness has raised €47 million in Series B funding led by United Ventures and CDP Venture Capital SGR, with participation from existing investor Partech. The company's agentic AI platform automates operations for hotels and vacation rentals, serving over 5,000 customers in 41 countries. The funding will support European expansion, with a goal to triple revenue in 2026.
Clarasight, a data management specialist for corporate travel, has secured $11.5 million in a Series A round led by AlleyCorp. The funding will support product development and expansion across North America and Europe. The platform integrates data from TMCs, expense tools, card programs, and HR systems into an AI-ready model, replacing manual processes and catching out-of-policy spend.
Berlin-based startup Nox Mobility raised €2 million in pre-seed funding to develop a private-cabin overnight rail model in Europe. The round was led by IBB Ventures, with participation from investor Tommaso Lucca and HomeToGo co-founder Patrick Andrae. Funds will grow the team, build a full-scale mock-up, and prepare for first routes launching in 2027. The company notes European night trains declined from ~1,200 per week in 2001 to 450 in 2019. Its model offers private rooms instead of shared compartments, targeting leisure and business travelers; business travelers already account for 30% of night train users in France.
Mumbai-based hostel company The Hosteller has raised approximately $16 million in Series B funding, led by PROMAFT Partners with participation from V3 Ventures. The funds will be used to expand to over 150 hostels and develop a travel super app integrating accommodation, F&B, mobility, and local experiences. The company currently operates over 70 hostels across 40+ destinations.
Phocuswright data shows Q1 2026 travel startup funding of ~$1 billion across 44 rounds, down from 66 rounds and ~$1.2 billion in Q1 2025. Investors prefer later-stage and AI-driven startups. Major rounds include Waymo's $16B, Mews' $300M.
Eterniti, a luxury rental and property management group focused on villas and ski chalets, has raised €30 million from Amethyst III, a fund under Limestone Capital, bringing total funding to €50 million. The funds will be used for selective expansion, operational improvements, and technology enhancements. The company manages 800 rentals across 25 locations in the U.S., Europe, and the Caribbean, operating three brands: Bo House, Verbier Exclusive, and Emerald Stay.
London-based fintech Vuelo has raised £56 million in seed funding, consisting of £6 million in equity and £50 million in asset-backed security. Founded in 2023, the company plans to build an AI-native travel platform offering personalized payment plans and an intelligent approval engine. CEO Jasper Dykes previously founded Fly Now Pay Later.
Swiss group booking specialist Lobby raised $2.2 million in funding from Founderful, with GetYourGuide co-founder Pascal Mathis joining the board. Founded in 2025, the company plans to expand into meetings, experiences, cruises, and airlines. Its AI platform helps hotels automate group booking requests, reduce manual processes, and increase conversion rates.
According to a Phocuswright report, the funding environment for travel startups in Asia Pacific is tightening, with investors prioritizing financial rigor and selectivity. Venture capital for Asia-based startups across sectors was $67.5 billion in 2025, a 6% drop from 2024 and the lowest in five years. Investors favor lower-risk, mature later-stage companies. AI, infrastructure, and fintech are key innovation areas.