SoftBank Invests in Brazil's Buser: Travel Startup Funding This Week
Sean O'Neill
October 11th, 2019 at 1:00 AM EDT
Skift Take
By investing in bus booking company Buser, SoftBank continues to add travel-related startups to its portfolio of investments, despite reports of trouble due to its investments in WeWork and Uber that have not met its expectations. Plus, we have this week's news of funding for the startups Jiudianbang, Lyte, Situm, and Skyroam.
This week, travel startups announced more than $39 million in funding.
>>Buser, an online booking service for intercity buses, has raised an undisclosed funding round.
SoftBank led the round.
In Brazil, intercity bus travel is vital. Air and rail operations are either costly or insufficient for many travelers. Meanwhile, most cities are connected by only one bus company, with limited schedules and routes.
Buser plays matchmaker between travelers in Brazil looking to travel between particular cities on particular dates and executive bus charter companies that can respond to the custom demand.
The startup, founded in São Paulo in late 2016, previously received seed investment from investment funds, Canary, Yellow, and Fundação Estudar.
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