Tale of 3 startups: Education through experience, digitising African tour operators and solving payments for small businesses
Africa receives 90 million tourist arrivals a year. Spain alone receives more. A continent of breathtaking biodiversity, ancient culture, and unmatched wilderness experiences is, by most global travel metrics, still flying under the radar.
Three entrepreneurs who have staked their careers on chan [...]
From Autobahn dreams to AI travel: Saad Saeed’s bet on escaping travel’s startup graveyard
Growing up in Pakistan, Saad Saeed dreamt of fast cars and soccer, and it was those two things that brought him to Berlin to study.
Germany’s Autobahn fascinated him. “It’s crazy,” he says. “Out of all the countries, the one with no speed limit has to be Germany – with all the rules.� [...]
APAC startup funding tightens as market matures
While travel demand in Asia Pacific (APAC) remains strong, early-stage startups may find it harder to secure funding.
According to an upcoming Phocuswright research report, “A Market Rewired: Ten Structural Shifts Redefining Asia Pacific Travel,” investors increasingly are prioritiz [...]
Roamio wants to fix travel’s most expensive drop-off between inspiration and booking
Travel inspiration has never been more abundant. Execution, on the other hand, is still broken. That gap, the moment when excitement gets lost somewhere between tabs, emails and unanswered enquiries, is exactly where Roamio is positioning itself.
“Honestly, it hurts everyone but in different ways [...]
Calling all travel startups: Global Startup Pitch returns in 2026
Grand Finals to be held at Phocuswright Europe in Barcelona
Travel startups from across the world will have the opportunity to expose themselves to the global market once again when the Global Startup Pitch, by WiT and Phocuswright, returns for its 2026 edition.
Now in its fifth year, the global [...]
Capital in action: The next flow – slower, smarter, selective
In an age of abundant ideas but cautious money, capital is being redefined – slower, smarter, more selective. That was the message from a powerhouse panel of investors and dealmakers at WiT Singapore’s session “Capital in Action: Flow for the Next Age.”
Moderator Chris Hemmeter, Managing [...]
Golden age for SMEs provided they seize the AI moment
“Without data, SMEs can’t scale. Without SMEs, the ecosystem loses meaning.”
By the time the SME-focused panel on “Smarter Tourism: Scaling Strategies For Success” was held on the third and final day of TOURISE in Riyadh, one message had been echoing across the corridors – it is time th [...]
Relive the Unconference with The Next Generation Leaders recap
Next Generation Leaders: The Unconference, powered by Booking.com, set the tone for WiT Singapore: The Next 20 with a room full of under-35 rising leaders prepared to challenge how travel will be built, led and governed in the decades ahead. Held alongside WiT Singapore, the Unconference moved quick [...]
The art of knowing when to hold, pivot, and exit
At the final Travel Tech Thursdays edition of 2025, held at Wego’s Kuala Lumpur office, three industry veterans sat down for a deeply practical (sometimes comedic) conversation about building, breaking, and rebuilding travel businesses.
Over an hour, Chan Chee Chong (CC), CEO & Co-Founder [...]
Young punks to new guardians – Asia’s new kids return in style
Each of them was a previous Startup of the Year pitch winner at WiT. Since then, they have each gone on to build amazing companies, helping to bring even more global attention to this new Asian century.
Now, as the WiT Singapore preview noted, each is now preparing their bid to “take it to the ne [...]
