Startups
Belli takes a crack at disrupting the massive air cargo market
11/02/2025 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
$6 trillion worth of goods a year flown by air, 35% of world trade With global air cargo at a record high, it is no wonder that new tech startups are attempting to disrupt this sector that transports $6 trillion worth of goods annually, accounting for approximately 35% of world trade by value, acco [...]
From “self-destruction” to successful exit: How Brett Henry turned MG Group around
23/01/2025 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Singular mission to build world’s best B2B hospitality marketplace amid Asian Century Fresh from a successful exit in which he engineered the sale of Indonesia's MG Group to Creador, a South-east Asia private equity firm earlier this month, Brett Henry, president director and CEO, is a man with a [...]
From Mallorca to the world: How Hotel Treats, nurtured by two couples, is going places with day experiences
21/01/2025 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Every startup has an interesting back story and Hotel Treats, the Scaleup Winner (People’s Choice) of the Global Startup Pitch 2024, is no exception. It was founded seven years ago by two couples, who didn’t even meet in person until 18 months after starting the business. “We did everything [...]
Purple Elephant Ventures raises $4.5M to build travel technology in Africa
17/01/2025 by Morgan Hines
Kenya’s startup studio Purple Elephant Ventures (PEV) has received $4.5 million in seed funding to push forward its mission to transform Africa’s tourism industry. Purple Elephant Ventures aims to make Africa a leading player in regenerative tourism, focused on creating a travel sector that [...]
Takaya Shinozuka: Disrupting Japan’s travel tech with punk rock spirit
19/12/2024 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
In the world of Japanese travel startups, Takaya Shinozuka stands out. The founder and CEO of Reiwa Travel, Shinozuka is not only reshaping the travel tech landscape in Japan but also embodying a spirit of rebellion and innovation inspired by his punk rock roots. Speaking at WiT Seoul, the entrep [...]
Trailblazing travel tech in Korea: The Journeys of Donggun Lee and Jiha Jung
16/12/2024 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
In the world of Korean travel tech, two entrepreneurs – Donggun Lee, the visionary founder of MyRealTrip, and Jiha Jung, the driving force behind Tripbtoz. Lee, who won the WiT Startup Pitch in Japan in 2014, started MyRealTrip in 2012, using tours and activities as an entry point. Jung, who wo [...]
Two Sisters, One Dream: Building Nowadays to transform event planning
12/12/2024 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Meet Anna Sun and Amy Yan, two sisters who started with a desire to work together on something impactful. Their event planning startup, Nowadays, won the People’s Choice – Seedup Category at the Global Startup Pitch 2024 at WiT Singapore in October. This is their story. Post-graduating, Anna, [...]
Rob Rosenstein on building Agoda, entrepreneurship and solving travel’s structural problems
05/12/2024 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
In the fast-paced world of online travel, few names stand as tall as Rob Rosenstein, co-founder of Agoda. While today Agoda is one of the world’s leading online travel agencies (OTAs), specializing in the Asia-Pacific market, its beginnings were far humbler. In a candid conversation at Phocuswr [...]
Southeast Asia’s tech sector at pivotal moment for value creation
02/12/2024 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Asia Partners’ Oliver Rippel Says Travel Will Serve as Foundational Sector Southeast Asia’s travel tech sector is at a pivotal moment for tech-driven value creation. Speaking at WiT Singapore, Oliver Rippel, co-founder and partner at Asia Partners, says, “We believe that Southeast Asia’s ti [...]
Mobility and hospitality startups, MOVV and DOWHAT, win at K-Travel Tech Summit
28/11/2024 by WiT
MOVV (Moving Mobilities), which offers global travel mobility software as a service, and DOWHAT, a smart hotel platform for guests, staff and management, won the Showcase at the K-Travel Tech Summit held in Seoul this week. Hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and organized by t [...]