Conservio, the South African online travel booking platform has raised $1 million to scale up its customer base from the over 2000 Southern African suppliers on the platform.
The funding was led by E4E Africa, with participation from Volve Capital, Living Hope Ventures, and Payfast’s Jonathan Smith. Smith also invested $500,000 into Conservio pre-seed in March 2023.
“We focus on curating places where every booking means something bigger,” says CEO and co-founder Lara Dendy Young. “Whether it’s preserving natural habitats or uplifting local communities, we want travel to be about more than just the destination — it’s about making a positive impact.”
Launched in 2020, Conservio aims to make it easier for people to discover, book, and get eco accommodations. The firm will use the funding to enhance the platform’s user experience, to help it get more travelers and sign up more eco-tourism businesses in Southern Africa.
E4E Africa managing partner Bas Hochstenbach said, “We’re excited about Conservio because they’re not just transforming travel — they’re also creating jobs in rural areas and helping conservation efforts thrive.”
“Conservio is perfectly positioned to grow while driving meaningful change,” says Joost Bijlsma, co-founder of Volve Capital. “We love their mission to make nature-based travel more accessible and impactful.”
Conservio has over 500 unique stays across South Africa, Mozambique, and Namibia but will now expand to include over 2,000 properties across Southern Africa.
“We’re seeing more people want to escape the city and experience something different,” says Justin Rijnberg, Conservio’s Chief Product Officer and co-founder. “Our platform is built for travellers who love the convenience of booking everything online but also care about the impact their travel has.”
