Return travel

Flush with venture funding, travel startups are hiring again [AngelList Logo]( [View Online]( [Flush with venture funding, travel startups are hiring again]( Photo by [Erik Odiin]( Vorfreude - (n.) Joyful anticipation. Investors [regained their appetites]( for travel and tourism startups, buoyed by signs that [the worst is over]( for an industry decimated by the pandemic. Following a five-year low, venture capitalists poured [$3.4B]( into the industry so far this year—70% of the total for 2020. That brings great news for job seekers: [Travel startups are hiring again.]( It’s also great news for modern-day gadabouts, hodophiles, peripatetics, wayfarers—people who love to travel—suffering from a bad case of wanderlust or farsickness. When they do get out for their next hagge, gökotta, or sojourn, they’ll pick from a host of new options tailored to their tastes. Investors remain bullish on the shared economy. Six-year-old [Hipcamp]( (they’re hiring) recently [raised $25M]( to build out its network of shared outdoor spaces that includes coconut farms, vineyards, and forests; and [Loge]( [raised another $4.5M]( to expand its campsites for rent. For the RV sharing crowd, [Harvest Hosts]( (they’re hiring), recently [raised $37M](. Mexico-based luxury brand Casai [raised $48M]( for its “intelligent living spaces suited for the nomadic generation,” while L.A.-based [Localaway]( hiring) caters to glamping culture with its “minimalist travel capsules of clothes, accessories, and items needed for a style adventure.” For those who prefer to coddiwomple in company, there’s [Launchtrip]( (they’re hiring), a New York-based “together-travel startup” that recently raised a $3.8M seed round, and [Trippers]( (they’re hiring). For solivagants—solo travelers—there’s [Bunkkey]( (they’re hiring), which helps people find roommates and split lodging costs, and [WeSolo]( (they’re hiring a co-founder). London-based [Fly Now Pay Later]( raised $14M to help people pay off their travel expenses in monthly installments. The company is beta testing in the U.S. Also in the United Kingdom, tripAbrood raised [more than $1M]( for its AI-powered travel assistant. Others are addressing problems exacerbated by the pandemic. Toronto-based [Sherpa]( raised $8.5M to help travelers cope with the complexities of crossing borders. Singapore-based Covid Controls helps travelers figure out [where they can and can’t go]( during the pandemic. And [Clear]( (they’re hiring) is advancing airport security with biometrics. New airlines are taking to the skies, too. PLAY is a new Iceland-based airline that’s [eying the U.S. market.]( Breeze Airways is the new airline for [Napa Valley’s super rich](. Meanwhile, Velocopter is working toward a future of [suburban commuter drones.]( For those who prefer ground travel, charter buses are getting easier to book thanks to [BookBuses]( (they’re hiring). So is overnight train travel, with L.A.-based [Dreamstar Lines]( hiring). Paris-based [BlaBlaCar]( which offers both long-distance carpooling and intercity bus travel, recently raised $115M. [HootBoard]( (they’re hiring) is “transforming the way visitor information is delivered” with digital kiosks. Travel to Africa is coming back,too, with [Travel Africa]( (they’re hiring). Travel booking and management services snagged some of the biggest deals of the year so far. Hong Kong-based Klook raised $200M after pivoting to “staycations” and SaaS services. Another booking company, [Hopper]( (they’re hiring), raised $170M for its price prediction and booking platform. Palo Alto, Calif.-based [TripActions]( (they’re hiring) [raised $155M]( after being forced to shed hundreds of jobs during the pandemic. Joining the deal was Elad Gil, an early investor in Airbnb—the rare travel company to [IPO mid-pandemic](. Barcelona-based TravelPerk [raised $160M]( to help small and medium businesses manage their travel. But what about the agoraphobes, recluses, hermits, and homebodies? Fear not: Investors are still [bullish on food delivery]( too. [View Story]( Hot startups hiring now 🔥 [Accrue]( - We help companies engineer high growth pricing. [Explore 3 jobs](. [Okra]( - Digitising financial services. [Explore 9 jobs](. [Tempo Automation]( - Complex printed circuit board assemblies in days, not weeks. [Explore 18 jobs](. [Obviously AI]( - Data predictions in minutes, without writing code. [Explore 4 jobs](. Funding and acquisitions Picnic, the Seattle-based [creator of a pizza-making robot]( , raised a $13.3 million Series A led by Thursday Ventures. Working alongside humans, the robot can crank out 100 pizzas in an hour. Picnic inked partnerships with several pizza suppliers and plans to roll out the technology in restaurants, schools, and other arenas. The company previously raised $20.7M, including $3M last fall. Piano, the New York startup [helping media companies monetize and grow audiences]( raised a $88M Series C led by Updata Partners. LinkedIn participated in the round. The company serves 1k customers—including CNBC, The Economist, MIT Technology Review, and TechCrunch—and reports 4x revenue growth since 2019. The company previously raised $46M. Beta Technologies, a Vermont-based [electric aviation startup]( raised a $368M Series A led by Fidelity Management & Research Company and plans to expand operations. Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund joined the deal. The company creates EVAs—short for “electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft”—that take off like a helicopter and fly like a plane and counts the UPS as a customer. Somewhere Good, a New York-based social media platform for groups, raised a $3.75M seed round led by True Ventures. People use the app to [drop into different “worlds,” or communities, that fit their interests](. The company reports a waiting list of 5,000 people and plans to launch the app later this year. AngelList Weekly 90 Gold St San Francisco, CA 94133 [Unsubscribe]( | [Update preferences](