YouTravel.me Raises $1M for Curated Small Group Adventures

YouTravel.Me Secures Funding in Rebounding Travel Sector

YouTravel.Me represents a recent venture to receive venture capital investment as the travel industry demonstrates signs of recovery following the global pandemic's impact.

Throughout the last month, several companies have secured funding. These include Thatch, which raised $3 million for its platform supporting travel creators, and Hopper, bringing in $175 million for its travel technology. Wheel the World obtained $2 million for its accessible vacation planning services, while Elude secured $2.1 million to revitalize spontaneous travel. Wanderlog also received $1.5 million for its complimentary travel itinerary platform.

Seed Funding Details

Today, YouTravel.Me joins this group, having successfully raised $1 million to further develop its online platform. This platform focuses on connecting travelers with similar interests to small-group adventures curated by experienced travel professionals. Starta VC spearheaded the funding round, with participation from Liqvest.com, Mission Gate, and several individual investors, including Bas Godska, a general partner at Acrobator Ventures.

The company was established in Europe three years ago by Olga Bortnikova, her husband Ivan Bortnikov, and Ivan Mikheev. The inspiration for YouTravel.Me arose from a disappointing trip to China, where a tour operator misrepresented excursions as shopping trips.

The Origin Story

A delayed flight and other issues prompted the Bortnikovs to seek superior travel experiences and a means of sharing them. Unable to find a suitable solution, they resolved to build one themselves.

“Forming connections can be challenging for adults, but a two-week journey with a small group of 15 fosters deep bonds through shared experiences and language,” Bortnikova explained to TechCrunch. “This is the core of our approach – facilitating meaningful connections.”

How the Platform Works

Functioning similarly to a dating application, YouTravel.Me’s algorithms match travelers with trips based on their interests, values, and prior travel history. Matched individuals can communicate via chat or voice, collaborate with a travel expert, and finalize their bookings.

The platform also offers BeGuide, a resource for travel experts to conduct research and design itineraries.

Growth and Pandemic Response

Since its inception in 2018, YouTravel.Me has become a leading travel marketplace in Eastern Europe. It currently lists over 15,900 tours across 130 countries, attracting more than 10,000 travelers and 4,200 travel experts. The company began expanding internationally in 2020, just before the onset of the global pandemic.

“The travel industry experienced a significant downturn, leaving us uncertain about the future,” she stated. “We recognized that our platform hosted over 4,000 travel experts who felt isolated due to the pandemic’s impact. We responded by creating a community and providing educational resources to help them develop and expand their businesses.”

Focus on Adventure Travel

Following a McKinsey study indicating a faster recovery in the adventure travel sector, the founders shifted their focus to this market and joined 500 Startups in late 2020. This resulted in a doubling of revenue while remaining self-funded, prompting a desire to enter the North American market.

Future Plans

The new funding will be allocated to marketing efforts in the U.S., expanding the team and attracting more travel experts, enhancing technology and product development, and increasing gross merchandise value to $2.7 million monthly by the end of 2021. The company aims to increase the number of trips offered to 20,000 and the number of travel experts on the platform to 6,000 by the start of the following year.

Investor Perspective

Godska, also an angel investor, discovered YouTravel.Me through a mutual acquaintance. This occurred while he was vacationing in Sri Lanka, where tourism was limited. Having previously worked in online travel with Orbitz in Europe and selling tour packages in Russia, he later established a venture capital fund.

“While in Sri Lanka with limited internet access, the concept immediately piqued my interest,” he said. “My conversation with the founders revealed a compelling innovation and a vibrant approach. I was eager to support them. The curated travel experience is a particularly interesting strategy, as independent travelers seeking group adventures are often underserved by traditional travel companies.”