Barcelona, Spain – The spotlight turned to the industry’s most promising new talent on June 10, as 14 seedup and scaleup companies pitched live at Phocuswright Europe 2025 during the highly anticipated Global Startup Pitch. Organized by WiT, Phocuswright, and PhocusWire and supported by American Express Global Business Travel, the competition entered its fourth year with renewed energy and a sharpened focus on surfacing transformative travel technology startups from across the globe.
Global Startup Pitch is an evolution in the startup showcase model, designed to uncover the freshest innovations and forge high-impact connections between founders, investors, mentors, and industry leaders. Companies from four key regions — APAC, Emerging Markets, North America, and Europe — plus a wildcard slot, competed for top honors in seedup and scaleup categories, with one winner per category per region.
“What stood out this year was the more even spread of entries which shows that our intention to make this a truly worldwide reflection of the travel startup ecosystem is bearing fruit,” said Yeoh Siew Hoon, founder, WiT. “Our judges were impressed by the quality of the startups competing in Barcelona and there was a common thread to the pain points being addressed – from solving labour problems in hospitality to the changing world of loyalty and helping suppliers increase revenues. It shows that no matter where you are in the world, we face the same issues that travel tech and innovation can solve.”
Pete Comeau, managing director of Phocuswright, added: “Producing the finals of the Global Startup Pitch at Phocuswright Europe was a fantastic way to showcase the amazing innovation from early-stage travel startups from around the world to a live audience.”
2025 Global Startup Pitch Winners
APAC
- Seedup: Replyr
- Scaleup: Loyalty Status Co.
Emerging Markets
- Seedup: Kijani Supplies
- Scaleup: BuzzAR
North America
- Seedup: Levee
- Scaleup: PassiveBolt
Europe
- Seedup: ImpersonAlly
- Scaleup: Arcube
Wildcard (Scaleup):
- Me Protocol
A total of 19 companies were handpicked from a competitive pool of applicants by a distinguished panel of judges from the investment and innovation community, culminating in a dynamic on-stage showcase at Phocuswright Europe.
“It was inspiring to see travel startups from around the world bring to the stage so many timely and relevant solutions poised to make an impact in their home markets and beyond, spanning categories from loyalty to ancillaries, customer service to fraud, and computer vision to digital identity. As expected, AI was on full display – we heard multiple references to Model Context Protocol, showing how much these startups are in tune with building for the future.” said Michael Coletta, Phocuswright’s senior manager of research and innovation.
Special Recognition Awards
In addition to the regional winners, two supplemental honours were awarded:
ASEAN Explorer Pass for Most Innovative APAC Startups, sponsored by AirAsia MOVE
- Loyalty Status Co.
- Replyr
Strategic Advisory Session with Travel Again Advisory
- Me Protocol
These awards reflect the growing importance of targeted mentorship and regional support to accelerate high-potential startups toward global scale.
Fueling the Future of Travel Innovation
Each finalist in the Global Startup Pitch received a complimentary ticket to Phocuswright Europe, pitch coaching from top industry mentors, and the chance to be selected for the WiT Singapore Showcase (October 6–8, 2025). Finalists will also be eligible for the People’s Choice Award at WiT Singapore, which grants a coveted stage slot at The Phocuswright Conference 2025 in San Diego, CA (November 18–20).
As the travel industry navigates profound change and reinvention, initiatives like Global Startup Pitch provide a launchpad for the ideas shaping tomorrow’s experiences.