Travel AI startup, Globaleur, raises 2.5m USD to connect end-to-end experience

South Korean travel tech startup, Globaleur, has raised US$ 2.5 million in their pre-series A round and recently completed setting up an office in Singapore as part of their expansion plans for SEA.

David C. Lee and Grace Wang founded Globaleur in 2017. The duo designed the Globaleur engine to leverage AI solutions, to solve the issue of the fragmented travel industry by connecting the end-to-end travel experience.

Their vision has attracted renowned VC firms such as SeaX Ventures, Knet Investment Partners, Big Basin Capital, and Primer Sazze based in San Francisco and Seoul. Together, they have recently concluded their pre-series A round, raising US$ 2.5 million on 29 September.

“There is a mega trend in AI-powered personalization across multiple industries, and travel, now recovering from COVID, will catch on to this trend. We decided to invest in Globaleur since it’s one of the first companies to apply such technology to help airlines, hotel chains,
TMCs, OTAs, and government-operated tourism boards offer a seamless travel experience to their end users while personalizing offers & itineraries for both leisure and business travellers.” Says Dr. Supachai Kid Parchariyanon, managing partner of SeaX Ventures, co-founder and CEO of RISE.

Globaleur addresses bridging the gap in the travel experience through 3 key components; pre-flight, in-flight, and in-destination. Globaleur’s AI Personalization Engine maps out user preferences across the board. From destinations and flights, their interactions with in-flight entertainment systems in the air, and preferences for activities on the ground. Globaleur
presents users with a complete overview of their trip for a hyper-personalised traveller experience.

The Korea Tourism Startup Center (KTSC) has been working with Globaleur before their pre-series A round to lay the groundwork for expansion in Singapore. KTSC’s efforts have led to talks between Changi Airport Group and Globaleur. Mr. Jang Min Jun, Deputy Director
of KTO Singapore, who is in charge of KTSC says: “Globaleur’s solutions have the potential to improve Singapore’s travel digital infrastructure. KTSC is connecting them with key stakeholders in the industry, and we are excited to be part of their global growth.”

As the global tourism industry is recovering, Globaleur has gained a lot of momentum in the market and is receiving heavy interest from global FSC (full-service carrier) airlines, government-operated tourism boards, airports, hotel chains, and some of the largest commercial banks in the APAC region. Their growth has skyrocketed along with the market
recovery and expects to grow their annual recurring revenue by 6x with more than 5M in monthly active users.

“Singapore plays a huge role in our business strategy heading into 2023. KTSC has been a big part of that push, helping us fast-track the discussion with Changi Airport Group by putting us in touch with the relevant business contacts in Singapore and saving us months in our sales cycle. We foresee our collaboration with Singapore’s travel industry serving as a regional benchmark in the near future.” Says David.

Riding the momentum, Globaleur recently completed setting up its Singapore office. This initiative will be headed by Globaleur’s top talent globally and position Singapore as the gateway to the rest of SEA.