Red River West promotes the international take-off of outstanding European Tech companies by providing significant financial firepower and game changing hands-on support in EU & the US

Red River West

CapHorn Invest is an independent Venture Capital Firm launched in 2010. The company invests in the climate and health sector. CapHorn Invest currently manages 180 million euros across two funds and has a portfolio of more than 20 companies.  Since 2020, the company operates as a Club Deal under the financial structure of Anaxago.  They invest in transformative technologies that help in the global effort against climate change. They mainly focus on seed to Serie B in rounds ranging from 1 to 10M€.

CapHorn Invest

Raise Ventures is a Venture Capital structure dedicated to innovative startups in France and Europe.

Raise Ventures

Crédit Mutuel Innovation is the evergreen venture capital entity of Crédit Mutuel Equity (€3.5 billion in capital). We invest €1-20M in life science, digital and deeptech companies from seed to growth stages. We help bold and ambitious entrepreneurs to develop their strong growth potential with our worldwide enterprise ecosystem (our 350+ portfolio companies, our abroad subsidiaries, 150+ largest global corporates and the best-in-class experts).  Because it takes more than 5 years to build a Unicorn, we invest our own equity and ensure durable partnerships with visionary leaders. Today, the 350 companies in which we have invested generate a cumulative annual turnover of €50bn and create more than 250,000 jobs.

Crédit Mutuel Innovation

Banque des Territoires is a Investment Firm.

Banque des Territoires

Frenchfounders has been meeting the challenges of French speakers since 2014, offering solutions ranging from business intermediation, investment to career coaching. Frenchfounders is active on 4 continents, 15 cities and over 450 events per year. By positioning itself as the physical and digital meeting point for a community of over 7,000 Founders, including 4,000 Club members, Frenchfounders brings together the international community of French speakers in two ways: individuals and companies. FrenchFounders was founded by Vincent Deruelle and Benoit Buridant in 2014 and is headquartered in New York.

Frenchfounders

Worldia

Worldia enables any travel agency to provide distinctive personalized itineraries and stand out in the travel industry. Worldia is a platform that enables à la carte travel, making the process of creating remarkable travel itineraries as unique as each traveler is more straightforward. Worldia was established in 2013 in Paris, Ile-de-France.

Worldia is a French company offering B2B2C services to travel agencies and other providers. Its flagship product, Travel Studio, has three hubs that allow travel agencies to plan and book multiple aspects of a trip in one place. The three hubs in Travel Studio include a 1) Tech Hub, which provides a white-label transactional travel planner with customizable features like real-time price and availability, design, currency, language, and UX customization features; 2) the Content Hub, which provides a curated selection of 800,000+ products covering 80+ destinations, including a catalog of ~4,300 activities and 16,000 hotels; and 3) the Service Hub, which offers qualitative services and on-demand support for distributors and travelers, ensuring end-to-end trip fulfillment with automated bookings and instantly available roadbooks. It also provides expert advice for trips and travel counsel. The company is expanding to Germany, Belgium, and Spain, having recently conducted its first pilot in the US.

Travel Tech

Worldia Raises $27 Million for Travel Agency Booking Platform

Worldia is a French company offering B2B2C services to travel agencies and other providers. Its flagship product, Travel Studio, has three hubs that allow travel agencies to plan and book multiple aspects of a trip in one place. The three hubs in Travel Studio include a 1) Tech Hub, which provides a white-label transactional travel planner with customizable features like real-time price and availability, design, currency, language, and UX customization features; 2) the Content Hub, which provides a curated selection of 800,000+ products covering 80+ destinations, including a catalog of ~4,300 activities and 16,000 hotels; and 3) the Service Hub, which offers qualitative services and on-demand support for distributors and travelers, ensuring end-to-end trip fulfillment with automated bookings and instantly available roadbooks. It also provides expert advice for trips and travel counsel. The company is expanding to Germany, Belgium, and Spain, having recently conducted its first pilot in the US.Key customers and partnershipsIn March 2021, Worldia partnered with Koala to launch “Worldia Full Flex”, a service that allows travel cancellation without needing to give justification for it, in the context of COVID-19.Competitors: None under coverage (Worldia offers white-label B2B2C services for travel agencies to create itineraries).

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.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, 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.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.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.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 1,500 units more 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).

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 with Ukio planning 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-enabled solutions to enhance the guest experience, such as contactless and automated check-in services.

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

Worldia

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