PRODUCT
HOLIBOB'S FUNDING NEWS
ABOUT HOLIBOB
Holibob, an innovative travel technology company solving the difficult challenge of collecting, curating, and distributing tours and attractions in a way that helps travellers easily find and book the ideal experiences for their trips, today announced it has raised $12M to build on the growth Holibob has generated over the past year.
In addition to the $12M in funding, Holibob has secured a flexible extendable credit facility so the company can rapidly scale its hiring and product development efforts in line with future revenue growth. That growth includes a 600% increase in revenue over the past six months, as well as the addition of numerous travel industry veterans to the Holibob executive team through the acquisition in April of TourismSolved. That acquisition bolstered Holibob’s marketing capabilities, as well as its ability to offer the content and context travellers require before making a booking decision.
“With the expertise we have in place and the infusion of capital from this funding round, we’re well positioned to realize our vision of helping the tours and attractions industry effortlessly connect the right products with the right traveller sat the right time,” said Craig Everett, Founder and CEO of Holibob. “We’re thrilled to see investors recognize both the growth our team has already generated as well as the opportunity still in front of us to bring the tours and attractions space into a new age of context-driven commerce.”
The round is led by Ryan Howsam, founder and CEO of British travel insurance company Staysure and leading investor in financial services, luxury, travel and tech sectors in the UK. Mr. Howsam has invested in Holibob since 2020, and has particpated in all funding rounds since then.
“Having worked with Craig, Angus, and the team for the past two years, it’s clear they have the drive and expertise to solve big problems and continue Holibob’s excellent growth trajectory,” said Howsam. “The team’s proven ability to partner with, and more importantly drive revenue for, leading travel brands made it an easy decision to double down on my support for them and their business model, including the extension of a credit line that will allow the team to focus on innovation and execution rather than further fundraising.”
Holibob will use the infusion of capital to accelerate its innovation across machine learning, marketing technology, content optimization, and consumer experiences in order to drive growth for its partners, which currently include the likes of Amadeus, Kayak, and SecretEscapes. The company will also work to enhance the depth and quality of products offered through its platform, and help tour and attraction operators build their online presence to capture more direct bookings.
“We’ve seen a real gap in the industry’s ability to think beyond basic content, such as ‘top 10’ and ‘best of’ lists, and provide the context travellers need in order to find the perfect activities for their trip,”added Everett. “Developing the technology to provide that context – and deliver the ideal product within it – is how we’ll help the industry move from being majority offline to majority online, and help travellers get more out of every trip they take.”
Holibob is the leading platform for connecting people with things to do that they will love. Anytime. Anywhere. Our goal is to enrich the lives of people everywhere and transform the industries we serve by enabling deeper and more valuable consumer relationships in addition to increased revenue opportunities. We do this by pioneering technology which enables the delivery of curated things to do across any online property, allowing people to work with their chosen airline, travel, and lifestyle brands to co-create unique and immersive travel experiences.
Taking a moment to reflect on some of the key themes the event brought to life.