Corporate Travel, Flying Taxis: Startups Raise $300 Million Over Three Weeks

It's been a slow start to the year for travel funding compared to last year. So far in 2025, travel startups have raised about $400 million. By this time last year, travel startups had raised more than twice that.

There has been one big fundraise so far this year: TravelPerk for $200 million. Nearly all of the others have been small, early rounds. That aligns with our reporting that mid-range funding, like series A, B, and C, is still tight. But private equity companies are looking to fund the next big travel tech platforms, so more big deals likely are coming this year.

Seven travel startups raised nearly $300 million over the last three weeks.

TravelPerk: $200 Million

TravelPerk, a platform for booking corporate travel, has raised $200 million in an oversubscribed series E round.

The deal values the company at $2.7 billion, up from $1.4 billion. 

The company has now raised a total of over $700 million. 

Barcelona-based TravelPerk is a corporate travel agency focused on small- and mid-tier companies in the U.S. and Europe. Client companies and their employees can book and manage travel and expenses through a tech platform. Clients include Red Bull, GetYourGuide, and Aesop. 

(Read Skift’s story.)

Vertical Aerospace: $65 Million

Vertical Aerospace, which is developing a flying taxi, has raised $65 million from new investors in a public offering. 

The company also closed on $25 million from Mudrick Capital announced in November. That’s in addition to $50 million that the company’s CEO invested last year, meant to provide the startup enough cash to continue operations until the second quarter of 2025.

London-based Vertical Aerospace is developing an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The design, called VX4, is for four passengers and one pilot. The plan is that it will complete trips of up to 100 miles at a speed of up to 150 miles per hour. The company aims to achieve certification in 2028.

Among its goals this year, the company plans to build and test its third prototype as well as complete full-scale piloted flights. 

Vertical Aerospace went public in December 2021 through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company. 

Naboo: $20.7 million

Naboo, a platform for planning and booking corporate retreats and meetings in Europe, has raised $20.7 million (€20 million) in series A funding. 

Notion Capital led the round.

The startup raised $8.1 million in 2024.

Paris-based Naboo says clients can find and book many aspects of corporate retreats, including vacation homes, catering, activities, transportation, and more. Clients have included Chanel, Google, and Ikea. 

The company says its booking volumes in 2024 nearly quadrupled to €60 million, and it aims to exceed €100 million in booking volumes this year. 

Mobly: $4.3 Million

Mobly, a platform that helps sales people generate leads during conferences and events, has raised $4.3 million in an oversubscribed round of seed funding. 

Jump Capital led the round, with support from Eniac Ventures, Peterson Ventures, Tenzing.VC, Peak Ventures, and angel investors.

The Utah-based Mobly platform allows marketing and sales teams to create, manage, and analyze campaigns based on data they collect at conferences and events. 

With an app, users can scan nametags at events. The tech pushes that data into the company’s customer relationship management system, and then the sales and marketing teams can immediately start pursuing leads. 

The startup said that it grew revenue five times in 2024. 

The capital will go toward product development and gaining new clients. 

Tryp.com: $3.1 Million 

Tryp.com, a booking platform geared toward young travelers on a budget, has raised $3.1 million (€3 million). 

Iberis Capital led the round, with participation from ITV, German Media Pool, and individual investors. 

Denmark-based Tryp.com sells vacation packages designed for hopping between multiple cities. The packages can include trains, buses, flights, and stays. The startup says it uses AI to scan for the best deals. 

The funding will go toward strengthening the tech and marketing.    

Stay: $3 Million

Stay, a short-term rental marketplace, has raised $3 million.

Investors included blockchain investor SOL Global Investments Corp. through a new venture capital arm, with the goal to integrate blockchain tech within the short-term rental industry. 

Scott McGillivray, the Canadian entrepreneur and TV host, founded Stay in 2023. 

Toronto-based Stay says it connects hosts with renters, and that its platform includes management tech for property owners and managers.

The company says it aims to go public and has signed a non-binding letter of intent for a reverse takeover deal.

The startup also plans to further streamline its rental process and expand into new markets.

Smartify: $1.9 Million

Smartify, which makes digital audio tours and visual guides for museums and tourist attractions, has raised $1.9 million (£1.5 million). 

Metavallon VC led the round, with support from Pembroke VCT.

London-based Smartify makes the guides on behalf of clients, which guests can access through the Smartify app. The app also includes features like museum wayfinding and ticketing. 

The company has more than 700 clients, including the National Gallery, the Acropolis Museum, and the Tower of London.

The startup says that usage has grown 68% over the last year. More than two million users have played more than 14.3 million audio tour tracks and explored 1.7 million objects.

The funding will go toward enhancing the tech and expanding internationally.