Connected-trip operator Worldia has just secured €25 million for its platform that is making travel personal. The French startup is now planning to take off on global expansion plans.
The travel sector has been experiencing a transformational change in recent years, driven by growing customer demands for hyper-personalised, customised and connected trip experiences that stand out from the crowd. It’s something that is being facilitated by exciting new tech developments and innovations, with startups paving the way forward.
The Paris-based startup Worldia has been shaking up the travel space since 2012, bringing travellers unique custom trips. The young company has now secured €25 million to fuel its global expansion plans. The Series B funding round was led by Credit Mutuel Innovation, Banque des Territoires (Caisse des Dépôts), and FrenchFounders. Existing investors Red River West, CapHorn, and RAISE Ventures also participated in the round. Worldia began its first fundraising campaign in 2019, and this marks a major growth milestone.
Grégoire Pasquet: “Thanks to this new round of funding, we are excited to continue our mission of transforming the travel industry and unlocking new possibilities for both travel professionals and consumers. We’re ready to make our game-changing technology available on a global scale, allowing us to empower even more travel distributors with a connected trip experience. Our post-COVID growth has shown that we are offering what customers are expecting, making the whole travel experience seamless and enjoyable. We are confident that we can make a real impact in the industry and we look forward to the journey ahead.”
Based in Paris, Worldia enables travel distributors and suppliers (travel agencies, major e-commerce brands, concierge services, etc.) to offer unique, personalised trips that stand out on the travel scene (and on traveller’s social media). The platform leverages proprietary technology, a curated product catalogue and tailor-made services to make it easy to build, plan and book trips across more than 80 global destinations.
The traveltech company recently finalized a new version of its platform and plans to scale its model to €1 billion GMV. It will include the boost of third-party connectivities, new AI-powered features, operations enhancements, new at-destination services and more.
A key player in the French market, Worldia has also successfully expanded into the German, Belgian and Spanish markets and has done a first pilot in the US. This new funding will fuel a new era for the scale-up, with plans to make the tech available to travel operators across Europe and North America, unlocking new possibilities for planning, booking and operating travel.
Guillaume Dhee & Erwan Bernard, Crédit Mutuel Innovation: “Beyond the value proposition, we were quickly impressed by the management team, who showed great resilience during the Covid-19 crisis. Thanks to an experienced leadership team and state-of-the-art, innovative technology, Worldia has transformed the custom travel industry and has signed all the major references. We are proud to support the company in this new growth stage, marked by strong international growth.”
Antoine Troesch, Investment Director at Banque des Territoires: “Banque des Territoires is particularly proud to take part in Worldia’s new round of funding. This investment represents a landmark for our strategy to help key travel tech companies grow. Worldia’s technology provides the leading solution for connected trips on the market. Therefore, the tourist assets of our territories become key components being able to increase the attractiveness of all French tourist destinations. This will undoubtedly increase the flow of inbound tourists for the benefit of our territories. We trust that Worldia’s founders, managers and international teams will be fully committed and dedicated to the success of the venture.”
