Holiwise, an AI-powered travel agency, has raised pre-seed funding and partnered with key travel platforms to expand its services.
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London-based Holiwise, an AI-powered travel agency founded by Swedish entrepreneurs, has raised €1.45M in a pre-seed funding round.
The round drew participation from executives at Bank of America, Barclays, Google, and Goldman Sachs. The funding was led by Bobby Previti, Head of SSA & Covered Bond Trading at Bank of America.
Ulf Nilsson, Nordics & Eastern Europe CEO at DHL, joined the round and will join the Holiwise board. Other investors include Sabri EL JAILANI and Filippo Zorzoli of Barclays Investment Bank, and Houman Ashrafzadeh, Founder of Padium and co-founder of Urban Greens.
Holiwise’s funding coincides with integrations into major travel platforms. The company has connected with HBX Group, a B2B travel technology provider with access to hotels, resorts, and apartments, and Abuiltus, a global distribution system offering real-time access to flights and accommodation data.
These integrations allow Holiwise to provide trip planning and booking services covering flights, stays, and experiences in over 10,000 destinations worldwide.
Capital utilisation
Holiwise will apply the funds and the new industest partnerships to advance its AI travel agent and dynamic packaging models. The company will also expand platform features and scale its premium concierge service.
Albin Eriksson Lippe, CEO and co-founder of Holiwise, states, “We’ve identified a clear gap in the market between mainstream online travel agencies and high-conclude travel concierges. Premium travellers are underserved, often forced to choose between impersonal, self-serve booking platforms or expensive concierge services that are slow to access.”
“Holiwise is building an AI travel agent that combines the convenience of technology with the quality of a tailored luxury experience. It can instantly plan and book complete personalised itineraries, including synchronised flights, premium stays, and curated experiences for individuals or groups.”
Bobby Previti, lead investor, adds, “I agree with the founders’ vision that there is a gap in the market for premium travellers. Holiwise is taking an innovative approach to solve the problem, with an exceptional team that understands the problem well. I strongly believe that the team is in the right place at the right time, working towards a vision that I’m keen to support.”
Streamlining travel experience
Holiwise is developing a platform that builds personalised trips applying deep learning and dynamic packaging models.
Unlike traditional travel agencies or online booking sites, the service allows applyrs to customise trips by mood, budobtain, location, or timeframe, and book flights, accommodation, and activities in one transaction.
The platform has thousands of monthly applyrs, with more than 80 per cent returning for repeat bookings.
Holiwise also operates a complimentary invite-only premium account for travellers, startups, and SMEs. Members gain access to private rates on over one million stays, concierge support for travel and dining, and personalised recommconcludeations. Customers report average savings of more than £250 per trip through the platform.
The company’s approach combines data analysis with booking tools to streamline trip planning and purchasing.
How was Holiwise born?
Holiwise was founded by Swedish entrepreneurs Albin Eriksson Lippe and Kristian Lexeklint, who met at school in Sweden and later studied at the University of Warwick in the UK. Their experience of fragmented and costly trip planning led them to create a platform that combines technology with the personalisation of a travel agent.
They teamed up with co-founder and CTO Apurva Amin, a software engineer with more than fifteen years of experience at Microsoft, payment platforms, and hedge funds, and Founding Engineer Maria Angelica Ancheta, formerly a senior engineer at Spotify.
Albin previously worked for five years at Goldman Sachs, covering macro hedge funds, while Kristian spent four years as a derivatives trader and salesperson at Barclays.
Holiwise was established to address challenges in how travellers discover and book trips, with a focus on combining efficiency and personalisation through technology.
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