Follow-on investment in TravelLocal as it merges with trip.me
2 August 2021
Our investee, TravelLocal – a global tailor-made holidays platform – announces that it has merged with Berlin-based trip.me and raised additional funding.
The merger creates ‘one of the most significant online marketplaces for tailor-made travel’, with a strong presence in both English-language and German-language markets.
Given the anticipated boom in demand after the pandemic, both management teams and their investors see a once-in-a-generation opportunity in the tie-up, bringing together two of the leading teams in the industry and significant market share.
The merged business has customers in more than 100 countries worldwide, with a significant presence in the USA, the UK, Germany, Canada and Australia, and offers nearly 100 destinations.
TravelLocal and trip.me share an innovative model: connecting a global clientele directly with handpicked, trusted local travel experts based in nearly 100 countries worldwide. This combines the benefits of human advice from vetted local experts, the convenience of being able to book online and full consumer financial protection through ABTA and ATOL. It also results in a more sustainable way to create and enjoy personalised holidays – with more client spend remaining in the local economy of the destination.
In tandem with the merger, we were delighted to participate in a £2.5 million Series A extension funding round, alongside Active Partners (investor in Soho House, Leon, Secret Cinema and Rapha).
The further investment will help fuel the business’ growth as the sector rebounds following the pandemic and brings the total raised by the combined entities to £13 million.
