Planning a trip usually starts with a few hours of searching and comparison. Arrange dozens of tabs, read endless reviews, and try to piece together inspiration from scattered sources. But for a new generation of travelers, that’s no longer the way it works. They have discovered their next destination on Tiktok, Instagram and YouTube.
Uravel bets that this change in behavior is more than a trend. The London-based startup raised $7 million with Series A funding to support its belief.
The round was led by Nauta Capital and introduced participation from Active Partners, Slingshot Ventures (the biggest LPs are Kees Koolen, Ex-CEO, Chairman of Booking.com) and former Booking.com CFO Olivier Bisserier. They joined investors such as Antler, Nodes, Upscalers, Brook Bay Capital and The Players Fund. This includes supporters including athletes Ben Stokes, KL Rahul and Jessica Ennis-Hill.
“Tiktok of Travel”: Turn creator’s content into travel bookings
The pitch is simple. Travelers are inspired by videos rather than search boxes. So why not have them book an experience you saw from the video?
“We’re building for the way people actually discover travel,” said Vijay Anand, CEO and co-founder of Uravel. “They don’t sift through endless search results. They are inspired by creators who explore the world and share their experiences. They unlock that gap and turn creator shot videos into seamless, AI-powered booking experiences.”
Uravel works with influential travel creators to curate authentic, scripted content that will spark wanderlust. From inside the banking app, the airline’s loyalty program, or the fintech platform, users can watch a short video and then move to book their next trip. You cannot search for links or juggle browser tabs.
The company’s white-label platform is already in use by major banks, insurance companies and telecom operators in Asia and the Middle East, and is expanding in Europe and the UK. Clients have seen a four-fold increase in daily active users and a lift with a 10-fold conversion rate.
Banks and telecommunications providers are leaning towards travel as a new way to attract customers. Uravel allows you to start a booking video first trip in just a few days, instead of building a custom platform that takes years.
This new round of fundraising will focus on growing Uravel’s London team, doubling AI capabilities and improving the way users move from inspiration to transactions. The company employs beyond AI/ML, enterprise partnerships and digital commerce roles, bringing out the talents of Travel Tech and Financial Services.
For investors like KL Rahul, the appeal is clear. “As someone who has traveled throughout my life and my career, I know the limitations of the discovery and booking process. By adding video and AI to that process, Uravel creates what could become the future and offers great opportunities.”
Nauta’s general partner Carles Ferrer believes the timing is perfect. “The rise of Tiktok has had a major impact on the way people experience content on mobile. It combines changes in both AI markets with the addition of AI booking assistants to create a highly popular white label solution.”
Having spent years shaping Booking.com growth over the years, Olivier Bisserier is more than just an advisor. He is now a supporter. “I’ve seen their vision, their execution, and I believe that what they’re building is really a future for travel.”
To unravel, the message is clear: scroll, get inspiration and book everything in one place.
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