Trident Capital is a venture and growth equity firm investing in Software, Services and Internet.  Trident focuses on companies addressing the major technology challenges facing today's enterprise, including Cloud Computing, IT Security, Digital Monetization, and Healthcare IT. The company was founded in 1993 and headquartered in Palo Alto, California.

Trident Capital

Norwest is a venture capital and growth equity investment firm that specializes in venture and growth equity companies. Since its inception, it has invested in more than 600 companies and partnered with over 140 active companies across our venture and growth equity portfolio. The firm invests in early to late-stage companies across a wide range of sectors with a focus on consumer, enterprise, and healthcare. It offers a deep network of connections, operating experience, and a wide range of impactful services to help CEOs and founders scale their businesses.

Norwest Venture Partners

Founded in 2000, Industry Ventures is an investment firm that focuses on making venture capital investments. The firm makes investments through secondary opportunities, primary fund investments and direct co-investments in venture-backed companies. The firm has $3.5B in AUM and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

Industry Ventures

Focus Ventures is a venture capital firm that offers early- and later-stage investment services to firms in the software, communications, semiconductors, and internet industries. It was founded in 1996 and is based in California.

Focus Ventures

Triangle Peak Partners conducts private investments in companies where it can work with management and help create value. The firm has a deep background in venture capital and private equity investing in private and public technology, energy, and alternative energy companies. Triangle Peak focuses on Series B through PIPE stage deals.

Triangle Peak Partners

Omega invests in Intelligent Software for the Enterprise breakout companies that leverage Artificial and Machine Intelligence to deliver best-of-breed solutions and new revenue streams. The firm strives to be the partner of choice for rapidly growing and consequential companies that can benefit society-at-large and help maximize human potential through technology.

Omega Venture Partners

TCV provides capital to growth-stage private and public companies in the technology industry. It also provides management teams with data-driven insights, sector expertise, access to world-class talent, and connections with category leaders.  Founded in 1995, the Silicon Valley-headquartered firm has invested more than $14 billion in over 350 growth-stage technology companies to date. Some of its most prominent portfolio company exits include Airbnb, Facebook, Netflix, Peloton, and Zillow.

Sojern

Sojern provides digital marketing solutions for the travel industry. Driven by artificial intelligence and traveler intent data, the platform activates multi-channel marketing solutions to drive direct demand.

Sojern offers a digital marketing platform specifically designed for the travel industry. It uses AI and user intent data to drive multichannel marketing strategies, aiming to stimulate direct demand.

Travel Tech

Sojern partners with Cloudbeds to integrate digital marketing with hospitality management platform.. Sojern.. product 

Cloudbeds

To streamline hotel operations and increase direct bookings through enhanced tracking and personalized marketing features across Sojern's travel advertising and Cloudbeds' property management system.

Providers of technology-enabled solutions to enhance the guest experience, such as contactless and automated check-in services.

Sojern offers a digital marketing platform specifically designed for the travel industry. It uses AI and user intent data to drive multichannel marketing strategies, aiming to stimulate direct demand.The platform's key features include:1) Sojern Traveler Ecosystem: Aggregates and analyzes global travel intent signals, providing traveler insights, audience targeting, multichannel activation, and optimization for a connected guest experience.2) Real-time Travel Data Insights Dashboard: Offers daily travel insights to assist hotels, attractions, and tourism boards in understanding travel behavior.3) AI Smart Concierge: Enhances guest experience by promptly addressing needs, scheduling services, upselling attractions, and optimizing sales. It includes over 1,000 automated responses to FAQs and improves resource allocation and operational efficiency.4) Reputation Manager: Facilitates feedback generation from guests and instant responses to in-stay and online reviews. Features include customizable in-stay surveys, automatic issue escalation, and access to OTA reviews.5) Guest Marketing Suite: Engages guests pre-, mid-, and post-stay via email, SMS, and chat. Includes communication tools, promotional templates, data management for guest profiling, automation for segment updates and communications, and configurable reporting and insights.In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/20010">July 2023 </a>, Sojern acquired VenueLytics, enhancing its travel marketing platform, with the addition of an AI-powered virtual concierge, real-time feedback tools, and a marketing suite. This acquisition not only expands Sojern's North American presence but also provides VenueLytics access to Sojern's global clientele, aligning with Sojern's goal to lead in travel marketing. The financial details of the deal remain undisclosed.Key customers and partnershipsAs of July 2023, Sojern’s platform was used by over 10,000 entities, including hotels, attractions, tourism boards, and travel marketers.Key hotel customers include Best Western Hotels, Accor Hotels, and Hospes Hotel; key airlines include Spirit Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and American Airlines; and key experience operators include Portland Paddle, The Tour at NBC Studios.

Sonder is a short-term rental startup that acquires and refurbishes apartments in popular urban areas and offers them for rent through various channels, including Airbnb, Expedia, and its own website. The company typically enters into three- to five-year leases (including fixed leases and mixed leases) or revenue-sharing agreements with landlords to occupy entire floors of buildings. Sonder’s contracts include provisions that reduce rates during economic downturns, such as a clause that decreased rents by 8% during the pandemic. Unlike other home-sharing firms that have faced difficulties with local lodging regulations, Sonder either holds hotel licenses or operates in buildings that permit short-term rentals.&nbsp;Its apartments offer hotel amenities, such as professional cleaning services, fresh designs, and a concierge service accessible through an app. With the help of its app and digital door locks, guests can check-in to their rooms without any face-to-face interactions. As a result, Sonder's offering was well-suited for maintaining social distance during the pandemic. Sonder aims to extend its reach by expanding to other regions, including Asia. Sonder is also planning to broaden its offerings to include properties such as resorts, villas, and residences. Moreover,&nbsp; Sonder aims to establish a franchise model and sell its software solutions to outside operators. In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/20463">July 2023 </a>, Sonder launched its first hotel collection, ‘Powered by Sonder’, a collection of boutique hotels, each with its own distinctive design aesthetic, utilizing Sonder's technology and operated by the company.&nbsp;As of January 2023, Sonder served more than one million guests in more than 9,000 live units, across more than 40 cities and 10 countries. It expected to grow its portfolio to 56,000 units by 2024.&nbsp;In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/27990">March 2024 </a>, Sonder lost some properties to competing companies such as Kasa Living, Placemakr, AvantStay, and Blueground. The shift in property management occurred after Sonder attempted to renegotiate lease terms or exit from master leases.&nbsp;Key customers and partnerships<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/32761">In August 2024</a>, Sonder signed a licensing agreement to sell 9,000+ of its units to Marriott International with plans to integrate an additional 1,500 units into the Marriott system in the future. Previously,In September 2022, Sonder partnered with RateGain Travel technologies to strengthen its presence on the GDS by introducing its own dedicated chain code titled SS. The company also partnered with Hotel Engine, a lodging performance network, to offer its services to its network of over 550,000 business travelers (October 2021).&nbsp;

Sonder

Ukio is a Barcelona-based company that provides short-term rental apartments directed at remote workers and other professionals on the move. Ukio offers rental apartments for stays ranging 1–11 months, with an average stay of four to five months. Guests can book for a set period and have the option to extend their stay through the company's online platform. Ukio signs 7- to 10-year leases for its apartments with individual property owners, real estate developers, and family offices.Ukio’s rentals range from EUR 1,750–5,000 (~USD 1,900–5,400) per month. The monthly payment covers utilities, maintenance, taxes, and all the standard amenities included in a hotel stay. Each apartment includes a concierge and reception area, with some having additional services, such as weekly-cleaning facilities. As of August 2024, Ukio operated in Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon, Berlin and Paris and planned to expand to other cities such as London, and Dublin.

Ukio

NUMA (formerly known as Cosi) is a German provider of alternative accommodation that offers short-term rental units in over 3,000 locations in cities like Berlin, Munich, Rome, and Vienna. The company signs long-term leases with property owners and remodels the apartments by furnishing and designing the interiors, before renting them out as a hotel alternative. NUMA uses automation and smart pricing to increase occupancy rates and provides a comprehensive digital service for the entire guest experience by reducing booking and check-in/checkout timing to less than 60 seconds. NUMA differentiates itself from similar companies like Sonder by targeting a broader demographic and offering a “tech franchise” solution called “NUMA Go,” where third-party hoteliers can use NUMA's technology for a share of their revenue. NUMA also offers B2B travel solutions through its dedicated corporate booking team and its offering of corporate travel rates.In June 2021, NUMA expanded its services to Spain, Italy, Austria, and the Czech Republic by acquiring local short-term rental provider, Friendly Rentals. NUMA planned to further expand its operations in existing and new markets, such as France, the UK, Ireland, and the Nordic region. Additionally, NUMA made plans to enter the Portuguese market with the opening of a 77-unit hotel in Lisbon in Q2 2024.

numa

TravelPerk offers business travel options for customers. TravelPerk is headquartered in Barcelona and has additional offices in London, Berlin, Chicago, and Miami. The platform uses proprietary technology to provide booking, management, and reporting for business trips. It allows travellers to compare and book various modes of transportation, such as trains, cars, flights, hotels and apartments from various providers including KAYAK, Skyscanner, Expedia, Booking.com, and Airbnb. The company aims to provide flexibility to travellers while giving companies control over travel expenses.In November 2021, TravelPerk launched “TravelPerk Events” to bring dispersed teams together for face-to-face meetings. To make in-person meetings more sustainable, TravelPerk also provides customers with the option to estimate their carbon footprint and neutralize their emissions, achieving this through the acquisition of Susterra (September 2021). This also includes GreenPerk, a sustainability tool that directly reduces carbon emissions through initiatives run by its partner, Atmosfair. Other notable acquisitions included that of AmTrav (<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates?industryIds=101">June 2024</a>), UK-based rival, Click Travel (July 2021) and US-based rival, NexTravel (January 2021).TravelPerk uses a subscription- and commission-based business model that includes a freemium plan, with paid plans starting at USD 99 per month and commission fees starting at 3% per booking.Key customers and partnershipsTravelPerk struck a partnership with Southwest Airlines in January 2021 to broaden its US-based inventory, becoming one of the first non-US travel management companies to enter a partnership with the airline company. Other partners include Lufthansa Group Airlines, Midnight Trains, Divvy, and Skyscanner.TravelPerk doubled its customer acquisition rate in 2020 and catered to more than 6,000 businesses, including brands like Wise, Farfetch, GetYourGuide, and Monzo, as of September 2024

TravelPerk

Omio is a Berlin-based travel platform that allows users to search, compare and book transportation options across Europe, the US, and Canada. Founded in 2013 as GoEuro, the company rebranded to Omio in 2019 to reflect its expanded global presence. Omio's platform aggregates and displays train, bus, flight, ferry and car rental options from over 1,000 transportation providers across 37 countries. Users can compare routes, prices, and travel times across different modes of transport in a single search.The company's technology integrates directly with transportation providers to offer real-time pricing and availability. Omio generates revenue through commissions on bookings as well as service fees. As of 2022, Omio's platform facilitated enough ticket sales to fill 30 trains and 300 buses daily. The company has seen significant growth, with ticket bookings in 2022 reaching 140% above pre-pandemic levels. Omio has also observed a shift toward mobile bookings, with 80% of tickets now purchased via its mobile app.Key customers and partnershipsOmio has partnerships with hundreds of transportation companies across Europe and North America, including major providers like Renfe, Deutsche Bahn, SNCF, Flixbus, and Amtrak. In 2022, Omio partnered with Uber to integrate its inventory into the Uber app in the UK, allowing Uber users to book train and coach tickets. In 2023, Omio collaborated with Ecosia to launch a "tree-planting rail travel search tool" that promotes train travel as a more sustainable transport option. Omio has also integrated its booking capabilities into platforms like Kayak and Huawei devices.&nbsp;In August 2024, Omio announced a partnership with Ryanair to sell the airline's tickets as an approved online travel agent.

Omio

Platforms to search, compare, plan, and/or book flights, hotels, buses, trains and travel packages.

Platforms to search, compare, plan, and book alternative lodging in privately owned properties, including apartments and homes

Platforms to search, compare, plan, and book tours, events, and other travel-related recreational activities

Providers of corporate travel management solutions that help businesses with planning, controlling, tracking, and reporting on business travel activities, as well as distribution solutions and B2B booking engines

Car rental and ride-sharing solutions for long-distance travel

Providers of battery-powered luggage products equipped with technologies such as USB charging, built-in scales, TSA-approved locks, and real-time location tracking via GPS and cellular networks

Providers of technology-based solutions for accommodation providers, tour/experience operators to optimize revenue and operations.

Some solutions under the B2B travel solutions segment operate under a B2B SaaS model

Some online search/booking and revenue management solutions use AI/ML for product development

ANALYST_QUICK_TAKE

PROMINENT_CATEGORY

<div>
 Sojern, a travel marketing platform, and Cloudbeds, a hospitality management software provider, have partnered to integrate their respective hotel technology solutions. Through this amalgamation, Sojern's travel advertising and guest experience solutions can function smoothly with Cloudbeds' property management system. This will enable hotels to utilize demand-oriented advertising over digital channels and only pay after a guest's stay. It also offers tools for advanced customer segmentation and for executing efficient loyalty marketing across multiple properties.
 The collaboration is intended to simplify hotel operations and boost direct bookings by offering better tracking capabilities and personalized marketing features on both platforms.
</div> Analyst QuickTake: 
 This integration between Sojern and Cloudbeds could simplify travel marketers’ access to data, enhancing the ability to reach potential guests more efficiently.

Sojern

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