INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Evaneos, the online marketplace for tailor-made travel experiences, has picked up $80 million in Series D funding
Leading the round is Partech, and Level Equity, with participation from Quadrille Capital, and existing backers XAnge, Serena Capital, and
Bpifrance.The injection of cash is to be used to international development, including increasing headcount from the current 180 employees
It brings total funding to around $108 million since being founded in 2009.Competing primarily with traditional tour operators, Evaneos
offers a marketplace for tailored travel experiences that claims to cut out the middle-person -& that is, the tour operators and major
travel agencies -& by connecting travellers directly with a community of local travel agents
Through the site you can browse a range of holiday ideas, then contact a local agent living in the destination country to design a
tailor-made itinerary.The draw for consumers is more personalized travel experiences, while local agencies benefit from an additional source
of direct revenue, retaining more income for the local economy
Evaneos counts 1,300 local partners based in 160 destinations, and says it aims to add another 500 in 2009.The product is available in 9
European countries, and Evaneos name checks Germany, France, Italy, Spain the U.K
as particularly competitive but where it is seeing most business
To date, more than 300,000 travellers have used Evaneos to create and book a trip.Meanwhile, personalised travel remains a hot sector for
In June, TourRadar, the Vienna, Austria-headquartered online travel agency (OTA) that also targets the multi-day touring market, raised $50
million in Series C funding led by the Silicon Valley growth VC firm TCV.
