Attention Travel Startups: Global Startup Pitch Returns in 2025

Grand Finals to be held at Phocuswright Europe in Barcelona

 

BARCELONA, Spain – 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 Web in Travel (WiT) and Phocuswright, returns for its 2025 edition at this year’s Phocuswright Europe.

 

Now in its fourth year, the global competition is calling for entries from across four regions – Asia Pacific, Emerging Markets, Europe and North America – in two categories, Seedup: Businesses under three years old that have raised no more than US$5m, and Scaleup: Businesses three to eight years old that have raised no more than US$10m.

 

In a key difference from the previous year, this year’s Grand Finals will be held in person at Phocuswright Europe, which takes place in Barcelona from June 10-12.   The winners of each region will win spotlight presentation opportunities at WiT Singapore from Oct 6-8, and Phocuswright in San Diego from Nov 18-20.

“Although virtual events made it easier for startups around the world to participate, we wanted this year’s competition to be a lot more integrated with our physical events throughout the year,” said Yeoh Siew Hoon, founder, WiT.  “From feedback, our startups tell us they value the opportunity to be present at our conferences and grow their networks and partnerships,”

 

Pete Comeau, managing director of Phocuswright, added: “Our conference attendees shared feedback that they are inspired by seeing the latest innovations live on our event stages. By bringing the finals of the Global Startup Pitch to Phocuswright Europe, we are serving the preferences of our audience, in addition to providing a platform for early-stage companies to gain exposure in-person, in front of some of our industry’s top decision makers.”

 

Deadline for entries is April 15. Finalists will be announced in May to prepare for the Grand Finals on June 10 in Barcelona.

 

Last year, 10 winners were chosen from nearly 200 entries for the global competition:

 

Asia Pacific:

Belli (Seedup)

Neoma (Scaleup)

 

Emerging Markets

atlaseek (Seedup)

Flapper (Scaleup)

 

Europe

Trapi (Seedup)

Hotel Treats (Scaleup)

 

North America

Nowadays (Seedup)

The Host Company (Scaleup)

 

Wildcards: Revolutionizing the In-Destination Experience

iWander (Seedup)

Autio (Scaleup)

 

Nowadays and Hotel Treats won the People’s Choice awards when they presented at WiT Singapore last October.

 

This year’s Global Startup Pitch is supported by American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT), a Phocuswright Strategic Partner of Innovation.

 

Evan Konwiser, Chief Product and Strategy Officer, Amex GBT said: “Amex GBT is proud to be part of the Global Startup Pitch Competition. These companies are indicators of where entrepreneurs and investors see areas of opportunity and growth in our industry. Business travel is a complex ecosystem. Startups are vital to making sure our industry continues to evolve, innovate and push boundaries to solve challenges and companies like Amex GBT and others supporting this competition are crucial to helping boost their ability to scale.”

 

Past sponsors and supporters have included JetBlue Ventures, Amadeus, Yanolja Cloud, Stripe, Netactica, Cambon Partners, MakeMyTrip, Velocity Ventures and AWS.

 

The Global Startup Pitch is part of WiT and Phocuswright’s ongoing commitment to cultivate innovation, which also includes Phocuswright’s Innovation: Launch, Startup Programs, PhocusWire’s Hot 25 Travel Startups, WiT Bootcamps and more.