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There are hundreds of social travel startups that are attempting to tie the inspiration, planning, or sharing stages of travel to users' social networks. Minube started earlier and includes a full scope of features that can make it a one-stop shop for users.

European social travel company Minube announced today that it raised $1.37 million (€1 million) from Spanish firms Kibo Ventures, Bonsai Venture Capital, and existing investor Sputnik Ventures.

The Spain-based company launched in 2007 as a website and app that aims to inspire travelers and tie the booking stage as closely to the inspiration step as possible. Users can discover destinations based on length of trip or type of desired vacation, book flights and hotels, and find activities and restaurants on the ground.

All content on the site and mobile app is user-generated with recommendations and photos of places to eat, sleep, and explore. The platform can also be used to share trip ideas with friends and upload photos and videos to social networks.

The company plans to use the funding to improve booking and search features as well as expand abroad. Minube’s U.S. and UK business development lead Chris Pearrow says this is the company’s first large investment to date.

“Earlier in minube’s lifespan, the focus was on finding an appropriate and scaleable business model that would make the company profitable and financially independent. That goal has been achieved, but we realized that additional funding was needed to make the international leap and penetrate new markets in Latin America, the US, and northern/eastern Europe.”

The company claims that it has one million registered users, and more than 2 million app downloads. The app is currently available in iOS and Android.

The below teaser was created one year ago:

minube: from travelers to travelers from minube on Vimeo.

smartphone

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Tags: funding, social media, travel apps

Photo credit: A screenshot of someone using the Minube app from the company's teaser video. Minube / Vimeo

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