Some entrepreneurs are subject to so much tunnel vision that they can't see when it's time to either pivot or give up. The themes of pivoting to B2B and targeting the vacation and short-term rental space are commonplace and it's realities like these that investors impress upon startups every day. Everyone trying to do the same thing without differentiating creates a lack of ambition, a sentiment shared by some investors we recently spoke to.
Clearstone Venture Partners claims that funding LeisureLink is a better investment than in Airbnb or HomeAway. That may be a frivolous boast but what's clear is that a lot of people are going to make a ton of money on the business and distribution side of the vacation rental and alternative lodging industry.
As another U.S. election season heats up in 2016, it's important to mark the ways in which travel industry money will affect both election outcomes and future regulation.