The Global Startup Pitch, by WiT, Phocuswright and PhocusWire, is back for the third year running in its quest to unearth the brightest stars on the gleaming edge of travel tech.
Welcoming both travel and non-travel startups who believe their businesses have application in the industry, the competition aims to uncover gems from different regions – Asia/Pacific, Middle East/Africa, Europe and the Americas.
Entries are free and the submission deadline is June 7.
“We have made some changes to the programme this year, based on lessons learnt and feedback from our judges and startups,” said Yeoh Siew Hoon, founder, WiT.
“We have introduced two different levels of funding – one at Startup and the other at Seedup – to ensure that we are also unearthing the new and unpolished gems that may not be able to compete with the more established companies.”
Seedup is defined as “under three years and which have raised no more than US$5m” while Scaleup is defined as “Three to eight years and which have raised no more than US$10m”.
Another change is in the judging process. The first round of judging, which was usually done by a panel of selected judges, will now be done by a voting process which will engage the combined audiences of the Northstar Travel Technology Group.
“We felt this would give us a more democratic way of getting to a shortlist before we open it up to a panel of judges,” said Pete Comeau, managing director of Phocuswright. “Our travel technology brands, including Phocuswright, Phocuswire and WiT, have a global outreach and this is a good way to engage them in the selection process.”
“As the competition progresses, we will also look at ways in which we can make this global competition more diverse and representative of the different regions,” added Siew Hoon.
JetBlue Ventures, which invests in and partners with early-stage startups improving travel and hospitality, is onboard as sponsor for the third year running.
Said Comeau, “Whether you’re a tech startup in hospitality, transportation, tours & activities, B2B or B2C, AI, data or sustainability, this is your opportunity to gain access to a top-class network of judges, as well as data, insight, and exposure to investors and partners, and build relationships within the industry.”
Finalists selected win a slot to pitch at the Grand Finals at WiT Singapore, Oct 14–16, and the winner gets an opportunity to present at The Phocuswright Conference in Arizona, November 19–21.
Wheel The World, a champion for accessible travel, was the inaugural winner in 2022 while Legends, powering a new era in personalisation of travel with phone and photo data, walked away with the top prize in 2023.
Learn more and enter here.