Monos Raises $10 Million for Luggage: Travel Startup Funding This Week

This week, travel startups announced more than $20 million in funding.

>>Monos Travel, a gear maker based in Vancouver, said it had raised $10 million (about $12.6 million Canadian) in a Series A funding round.

Venn Growth Partners led the round, with significant participation by Strand Equity.

Monos sells suitcases, bags, and accessories with a sustainability theme. It’s profitable, said CEO and co-founder Victor Tam.

>>Anyplace, a marketplace for flexible-term furnished housing, said it had raised $5.3 million in Series A financing.

GA Technologies led the round. Jason Calacanis, Launch Fund, Keisuke Honda, and East Ventures also took part.

Remote workers looking for lodging that has good Wi-Fi and comfortable workspaces often struggle to find places to stay.

“That’s why we created accommodations specially designed for remote workers called Anyplace Select,” said co-founder and CEO Steve Naito. The product is currently in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, and New York City.

“Every Select apartment has a height-adjustable standing desk, an ergonomic chair, an ultra-wide monitor, a professional microphone, a webcam, a collapsible green screen, a laptop stand, a docking station, and a gigabit internet connection,” Naito said.

The company also aggregates flexible housing that isn’t set up specifically for remote workers.

Rival startups include Zeus and Hello Landing.

>>Hospals, a search service for medical travel, has raised $3.5 million in its pre-Series A round.

Inflection Point Ventures, 9Unicorns, Wavemaker, and Venture Catalysts participated in the current round.

The Delhi-based startup has served more than 22,000 patients from 38 countries, CNBC TV18 reported.

>>Little Heron Tourism, a smart tourism company in China, has raised a seed round of about $1.6 million (10 million yuan).

Gongxin Capital led the round, according to 36 Krypton.

The startup is the exclusive provider of digital guides at 800 scenic spots, providing kiosks that help visitors understand a scenic attraction. It has been adding other services, such as stroller rentals for parents.

The company, currently based in Beijing but originally from Nanchang, plans to offer a range of tourism services. Within a year, Little Heron will launch an online shopping mall to let people buy goods from scenic tourism spots.

Company	Stage	Lead	Raise
Monos	Series A	Venn	$10m
Anyplace	Series A	GA Technologies	$5.3m
Hospals	Seed	Inflection Point & others	$3.5m
Little Heron	Seed	Gongxin Capital	$1.6m

Skift Cheat Sheet

Seed capital is money used to start a business, often led by angel investors and friends or family.

Series A financing is typically drawn from venture capitalists. The round aims to help a startup’s founders make sure that their product is something that customers truly want to buy.

Series B financing is mainly about venture capitalist firms helping a company grow faster. These fundraising rounds can assist in recruiting skilled workers and developing cost-effective marketing.

Series C financing is ordinarily about helping a company expand, such as through acquisitions. In addition to VCs, hedge funds, investment banks, and private equity firms often participate.

Series D, E and, beyond These mainly mature businesses and the funding round may help a company prepare to go public or be acquired. A variety of types of private investors might participate.