B2B SaaS
Q1 202421.03.2024

Hospitality, Events & Travel

Picture of Shubham Jaipuria

Shubham Jaipuria

at Sifted

Travel has been hit in recent years as inflation erodes savings and businesses tighten their belts. Across Europe, sectors like hospitality, events, and travel enablement secured $271m in funding last year, a considerable drop from the $647m raised in 2022. The pandemic reshaped travel experiences for all and while it has largely rebounded to pre-Covid levels for leisure purposes, corporate journeys are still lagging.

Amid these hurdles, startups are stepping up with innovative ideas to help the industry. Faced with challenges on the B2C front, travel industry players like hotels and restaurants are turning to startups for efficiency-enhancing strategies through B2B platforms. Additionally, with a growing focus on reducing the CO2 footprint of travel and hospitality, startups addressing emissions in this sector are gaining traction.

While some significant funding rounds and new fund launches in 2024 signal optimism, capital allocation for the sector remains below the expectations of startups.

20 most promising early-stage startups

  • Namastay logo

    Sifted score

    7.83
    -

    Namastay

    Optimizing hotel booking and payments.

    • Strong investor(s)
    • Serial founder(s)
    • Hiring

    • Year founded

      2021

    • HQ

      Paris, France

    • Latest round

      Seed
      €2m / Dec 2021

    • Total funding

      €5.4m

    View company profile
  • OurCal logo

    Sifted score

    7.72
    -

    OurCal

    Secure shared calendar for privacy-conscious.

    • Strong investor(s)
    • Serial founder(s)

    • Year founded

      2020

    • HQ

      London, United Kingdom

    • Latest round

      Seed
      €3.2m / Apr 2023

    • Total funding

      €4.1m

    View company profile
  • GuestReady logo

    Sifted score

    7.68
    -

    GuestReady

    Optimizing short-term rental property management

    • Strong investor(s)
    • Serial founder(s)
    • Hiring

    • Year founded

      2016

    • HQ

      London, United Kingdom

    • Latest round

      Seed
      €2.1m / Oct 2023

    • Total funding

      €15.7m

    View company profile
  • metafore logo

    Sifted score

    6.39
    -

    metafore

    Premium event spaces with dedicated support.

    • Strong investor(s)
    • Serial founder(s)
    • Hiring

    • Year founded

      2019

    • HQ

      Paris, France

    • Latest round

      Series A
      €15m / Jun 2022

    • Total funding

      €15m

    View company profile
  • BeCause logo

    Sifted score

    6.09
    -

    BeCause

    Automating sustainability data for tourism.

    • Serial founder(s)
    • Hiring

    • Year founded

      2018

    • HQ

      Copenhagen, Denmark

    • Latest round

      Seed
      €2.3m / Feb 2024

    • Total funding

      €3m

    View company profile

Related articles

Revolut granted French banking licence
FintechNews

August 10, 2026

Revolut granted French banking licence

The fintech giant is investing over €1bn in Western Europe

By Damisola Sulaiman
UK air defence startup Cambridge Aerospace hits $3.4bn valuation in new fundraise
Defence techNews

August 10, 2026

UK air defence startup Cambridge Aerospace hits $3.4bn valuation in new fundraise

By Anne Sraders
DeepMind shakeup tests UK’s AI ambitions
Artificial intelligenceAnalysis

August 10, 2026

DeepMind shakeup tests UK’s AI ambitions

DeepMind shakeup tests UK’s AI ambitions
By Maya Dharampal-Hornby and Martin Coulter

Pro

DeepMind’s future has become all the more critical for the UK
Artificial intelligenceSifted View

August 10, 2026

DeepMind’s future has become all the more critical for the UK

Headshot of John Thornhill, Sifted's cofounder and editorial director.
By John Thornhill

Pro

‘I’m not here to be acquired’: Meet Nabla’s new CEO Brian Manning
Artificial intelligenceInterview

August 10, 2026

‘I’m not here to be acquired’: Meet Nabla’s new CEO Brian Manning

Brian Manning
By Daphné Leprince-Ringuet

Pro

The top junior VCs to watch in Europe, according to partners
Venture capitalList

August 7, 2026

The top junior VCs to watch in Europe, according to partners

Manal Belaouane of HV Capital
By Anne Sraders

Pro

Meet the 30+ venture scouts A16z has hunting for deals across Europe
Venture capitalList

August 7, 2026

Meet the 30+ venture scouts A16z has hunting for deals across Europe

By Maya Dharampal-Hornby

Pro

'We are more constrained by capacity than ideas': Why Lendable is chasing the superapp dream
FintechInterview

August 7, 2026

'We are more constrained by capacity than ideas': Why Lendable is chasing the superapp dream

Lenable cofounder and CEO Martin Kissinger
By Damisola Sulaiman

Pro

QMUL spinouts looking to raise
University spinoutsSpinouts fundraising

August 7, 2026

QMUL spinouts looking to raise

Sifted breaks down grant-stage to Series A spinouts from the university that are courting investors

By Oshin Narang

Pro

Inside Pleo's culture crisis: Executive exodus, unhappy staff and sale speculation
FintechInvestigations

August 7, 2026

Inside Pleo's culture crisis: Executive exodus, unhappy staff and sale speculation

Pleo cofounders Jeppe Rindom and Niccolo Perra.
By Damisola Sulaiman

Pro

UK expands talent visa to more than 100 companies
GovernmentNews

August 6, 2026

UK expands talent visa to more than 100 companies

Notably absent from the list are the country’s latest cohort of AI labs

By Freya Pratty
Europe’s 50 most active equity investors in H1 2026
Venture capitalMost active investors

August 6, 2026

Europe’s 50 most active equity investors in H1 2026

Europe’s 50 most active equity investors in H1 2026
By Federico Scolari and Oshin Narang

Pro

7 spots to meet founders and VCs in Paris
Startup lifeList

August 6, 2026

7 spots to meet founders and VCs in Paris

The bars, cafes, campuses and communities where the who’s who of French tech gathers regularly

By Daphné Leprince-Ringuet
Yann LeCun joins new VC firm
Venture capitalNews

August 5, 2026

Yann LeCun joins new VC firm

This comes less than a month after the ‘AI godfather’ launched and quit Extelligence Invest

By Maya Dharampal-Hornby
Exclusive: Legaltech Wordsmith raises $14m Series B extension from Index, FT Ventures
LegaltechExclusive

August 5, 2026

Exclusive: Legaltech Wordsmith raises $14m Series B extension from Index, FT Ventures

By Maya Dharampal-Hornby

Pro

Sweaty, insane, cracked: Decoding the language of founder praise
Startup lifeAnalysis

August 5, 2026

Sweaty, insane, cracked: Decoding the language of founder praise

cracked
By Éanna Kelly and Martin Coulter
Nik Storonsky in talks over new share deal for $500bn Revolut valuation
FintechNews

August 5, 2026

Nik Storonsky in talks over new share deal for $500bn Revolut valuation

By Damisola Sulaiman
‘We need the bravery to change the process’: How AI is impacting physical environments
Artificial intelligenceSponsored by

August 5, 2026

‘We need the bravery to change the process’: How AI is impacting physical environments

‘We need the bravery to change the process’: How AI is impacting physical environments
Sponsored by Nebius
Fintech startup Moss crowned Europe’s newest unicorn with €30m Series C
FintechExclusive

August 5, 2026

Fintech startup Moss crowned Europe’s newest unicorn with €30m Series C

By Damisola Sulaiman

Pro

After a decade of turning down VCs, Oxylabs hits $3.6bn valuation: 'Right timing, right partner'
DataInterview

August 5, 2026

After a decade of turning down VCs, Oxylabs hits $3.6bn valuation: 'Right timing, right partner'

Inside Oxylabs' office
By Jonathan Sinclair

Pro

The 144 new funds this year and what they reveal about Europe's investment market
FundingSifted data

August 5, 2026

The 144 new funds this year and what they reveal about Europe's investment market

Earlybird team
By Ruggero Di Spigna

Pro

A16z backs HappyRobot at $1.2bn valuation
AI agentsNews

August 4, 2026

A16z backs HappyRobot at $1.2bn valuation

The startup helps enterprises build, deploy and manage AI agents across complex workflows

By Maya Dharampal-Hornby
EU’s €5bn tech superfund officially open for business
Venture capitalNews

August 4, 2026

EU’s €5bn tech superfund officially open for business

The Scaleup Europe Fund, run by EQT, will be making its first investments in the coming weeks

By Anne Sraders
Exclusive: Nscale to provide compute to Oxford, UCL and Imperial AI researchers
Exclusive

August 4, 2026

Exclusive: Nscale to provide compute to Oxford, UCL and Imperial AI researchers

By Freya Pratty

Pro