Emerging markets seed-stage startup competition Seedstars World SA and online travel agency Bravofly Rumbo Group have announced that they will invest $1Million in travel startups from emerging markets in over 30 cities.
Announcing the move at the Seedstars World Final Event, the firms said they will launch a “Travel Track”, which will be held in parallel with the original Seedstars World competition in more than 30 countries to select the best travel startups which will receive $500k from Bravofly Rumbo Group.
“We’re very excited to be partnering with Seedstars World for their 2015 tour,” said Marco Corradino, co-founder of Bravofly Rumbo Group. “Bravofly Rumbo Group is currently expanding its global outreach, particularly in Asian Pacific and Latin American countries, and we hope to make meaningful connections and partner with Seedstars World certified startups.”
This partnership will also be reflected at the Final Event taking place in February 2016, where, alongside the traditional competition for selecting the best global Seedstars World startup, there will be a separate track for selecting the best global travel startup, with Bravofly Rumbo Group’s co-founder acting as the jury.
Seedstars World CEO, Alisee de Tonnac said the competition is expected to scale to 50 countries to reach more startups ecosystems, help startups raise funds, scale and create jobs. On the other hand, Pierre-Alain, Seedstars World co-founder sees the entry into the travel industry as a strategic move with more than 1.1 billion people travelling out of their home country in 2014 alone according to the WTO.