Travel Tech’s initiative to accelerate and support the next generation of travel technology

The Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech) has hosted its latest Start‑Up & Investor Connect Webinar, where five early-stage founders presented a new generation of AI powered innovations designed to modernize how travel is planned, sold and experienced. Across the hour-long pitch session, one theme stood out; AI driven infrastructure is rapidly becoming the defining focus of early-stage travel tech.

The session brought together a global group of travel-savvy angel and seed investors, including leaders with deep experience across OTAs, aviation, hospitality technology and destination marketing. Investors were invited to pitch in to the companies’ funding rounds, and offered founders candid feedback on scalability, integrations and real-world applicability.

Founders from Nappr, Pintours, Solutionz, Drifter AI and FleetFare showcased products built to solve foundational industry challenges, from hotel inventory monetization and real-world AI orchestration to destination visibility and voice enabled booking. “What stood out today was the consistency of the problems these founders are solving,” said Laura Chadwick, President and CEO of Travel Tech. “Travel is entering a new era where AI is reshaping how trips are planned, how suppliers operate and how destinations are discovered. The companies presenting today are building the infrastructure that will carry the industry forward, and Travel Tech is committed to supporting that innovation and fueling the momentum behind the next generation of travel technology.”

Nappr – A marketplace for hotel microstays and travel recovery, offering two to twelve hour stays at major hotel brands. Beyond day‑use rooms, Nappr is building toward a broader vision of becoming the infrastructure layer for travel recovery, including future airport-based sleep pods. Nappr has completed nearly 3,000 bookings, is growing revenue 50x year over year and is expanding supply across 35 countries. Pintours – An AI engine that powers real life, personalized experiences for major travel brands. Pintours digitizes human led experiences and orchestrates real world actions such as reservations, transport and event coordination. The company has generated more than $2.2 million in revenue since launch and is on track for $7 million in annualized revenue. Solutionz – proximity-based trip enablement platform that embeds travel commerce and smart marketing tools directly into CRMs, calendars, contact management systems and enterprise platforms. Solutionz helps partners capture high intent travelers at a fraction of traditional acquisition costs. Drifter AI – An AI visibility platform that helps destinations understand and improve how they are represented across major AI engines. Drifter tracks travel intent, identifies gaps and generates action plans for tourism boards. Thirty two DMOs across four continents have already generated snapshots with the platform. FleetFare – voice enabled booking and service tool that helps small operators, tour providers and local businesses manage search, booking and customer communication. FleetFare integrates with GDS systems and offers both subscription and booking fee models.

A vote was cast and Nappr was recognized for the most innovative solution to a real challenge and most compelling. Pintours was also recognized for the strongest market potential and scalability and most compelling.

A growing home for travel tech founders

The Start‑Up & Investor Connect Webinar is part of Travel Tech’s broader effort to support early-stage companies by giving them direct access to investors, industry expertise and a growing peer community. Travel Tech has now hosted multiple cohorts and continues to see rising investor engagement and founder demand.

“Travel Tech is becoming the permanent home for the travel tech start‑up community,” Chadwick said. “We are committed to giving founders the visibility, connections and policy insight they need to scale.” The next Start‑Up & Investor Connect Webinar will take place on Wednesday, September 16.

Founders interested in pitching at future sessions can join Travel Tech’s Start‑Up Membership Program, which gives companies access to programming and connections designed to help founders scale — including peer networking, educational sessions, investor introductions, policy insights, and opportunities to engage directly with leaders across the travel industry. Learn more about Travel Tech’s Start-Up Membership Program.