Purple Elephant Ventures raises $4.5M to build travel technology in Africa
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 [...]
Travel industry urged: “Don’t just take us places, make us feel better”
“We travel to know we’re not alone”, says actor, entrepreneur, traveller, Power Ranger Jason Chan
Editor's note: If you want to be rich, make good memories and there’s no better place than travel to make good memories. Yet, are we in the industry doing enough to create those emotional [...]
Innovation City: Stephan Ekbergh’s Club for Creators, Dreamers and where The Bouncer Rules
In a city where Table Mountain meets the sea, travel industry icon Stephan Ekbergh has opened the doors to something wild: Innovation City. Think Studio 54, CBGB, and Berlin's underground scene wrapped in a South African soul. Here, creativity and chaos aren’t just welcome – they� [...]
Gambler, Promoter or Maker? How Klook’s Ethan Lin Defines the Next Era of Travel Entrepreneurship
When you look at Ethan Lin, CEO and co-founder of Klook, you might wonder: is he a gambler, a promoter, or a maker – the three archetypes described by Thayer Ventures’ Chris Hemmeter in this article, when describing the evolution of the travel entrepreneur over the last two decades. (See related [...]
