FLYR Raises $295M to Rebuild the Foundation of Travel Technology
2024年8月9日 - 1:00AM
FLYR, the technology company that unlocks freedom to innovate for
the travel industry, today announced a $295 million capital raise
to accelerate the delivery of modern reservation systems, elevate
digital channels, and enable AI-based decision automation for the
world's largest airlines and hospitality brands.
The funding round was led by WestCap and included investments
from BlackRock, Streamlined Ventures, and a wholly owned subsidiary
of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA). FLYR has raised $225
million in Series D capital and received an additional $70 million
in credit led by Vista Credit Partners to scale its product
offerings around the globe. Notably, long-time customer and one of
the largest airlines in South America, Avianca also participated in
the latest Series D capital raise. Now, with over $500M raised
to-date, FLYR has become one of the best-funded travel technology
companies in history to address the archaic technology constraints
that plague the multi-trillion-dollar travel industry.
The World Travel & Tourism Council predicts the travel
industry will make up nearly 12 percent of global GDP in the next
decade, soaring 50 percent by 2032. Yet, as the rest of the world
embraces artificial intelligence (AI) and new retail experiences
powered by the cloud, the travel sector lags behind, often reliant
on legacy technology that cannot meet travelers' demand for a
seamless customer experience.
Unlock freedom to innovateNatively powered by
AI, FLYR enables travel businesses to improve revenue, reduce
costs, and modernize their reservation systems. Built upon
modularity and open standards, including IATA New Distribution
Capability (NDC) and ONE Order, FLYR makes it possible for airlines
and hotels to break away from legacy constraints, better understand
and manage vast amounts of data, and connect hundreds of technology
systems.
The additional capital will enable FLYR to scale and accelerate
the delivery of modern reservation systems that form the digital
foundation for every airline. Forward-thinking travel companies
like Avianca, JetBlue, Air New Zealand, Virgin Atlantic, Best
Western Scandinavia, and more use FLYR to deliver the best digital
experience for each of their travelers.
“We've been dedicated to reimagining the travel experience since
inception,” said Alex Mans, Founder and CEO, FLYR. “As the world
around us continues to advance, travel has remained in the past,
reliant on an oligopoly of archaic technology vendors with
misaligned incentives. FLYR makes the future possible today -
helping travel providers create the experience customers want,
while operating with speed and efficiency. This capital raise is a
testament to the growth FLYR has achieved thus far and we're
excited to continue supporting the world's largest travel providers
at pace.”
In support of the company's growth trajectory, Laurence A. Tosi
will join FLYR’s board of directors, lending his expertise in
building and scaling industry leading companies as FLYR embarks on
global expansion. Laurence is the Managing Partner and Founder of
WestCap, a strategic operating and investing firm and the largest
investor in FLYR. For over 25 years, Laurence has established his
career as a distinctive operator, serial entrepreneur and
forward-looking investor in the financial services and travel
sectors, previously serving in senior roles including CFO of both
Airbnb and Blackstone, and was COO of Merrill Lynch Investment
Banking and Trading.
"Much of the travel industry has been technologically stagnant
for years, reliant on a handful of legacy incumbents with limited
capacity to innovate,” said Laurence A. Tosi, Managing Partner and
Founder of WestCap. “FLYR delivers the open and dynamic platform
the travel industry needs to better serve travelers and expand
their services. WestCap is proud to support FLYR with growth
capital and operating support as the company leads the
modernization of travel with the potential to join other successful
industry leading disruptors, such as Airbnb and Hopper."
This news follows a period of monumental growth for FLYR. Over
the last 12 months, FLYR's annualized recurring revenue grew by 290
percent. In 2023, FLYR was recognized as the “Best AI-Based
Solution for Transportation” by the AI Breakthrough Awards, and
launched FLYR for Hospitality, a next-generation analytics suite
for hotel leaders. The company deepened its relationships with
customers like JetBlue and Avianca, and established new deals with
Virgin Atlantic, Best Western Scandinavia, and The Boca Raton.
“Delivering the best experience to our customers is core to
every decision we make at our airlines,” said Adrian Neuhauser, CEO
of Abra Group & Executive Vice Chairman at Avianca. “FLYR helps
us achieve this goal everyday by delivering modern commerce
capabilities to our customers and our global airline partners. This
capital raise will help propel our industry forward – providing the
technology that airlines need.”
About FLYR FLYR is a technology company that
unlocks freedom to innovate for the travel industry – eliminating
legacy constraints to enable real-time decision making and create
the experiences travelers seek. Cloud native, FLYR leverages
technologies including deep learning, an advanced form of AI. FLYR
is helping airlines and hospitality businesses around the globe
improve revenue performance, reduce cost, and modernize their
e-commerce experience. Learn more at flyr.com.
About WestCapWestCap is an operating equity
firm that partners with visionary leaders to build generational
businesses. Our team is composed of seasoned industry leaders and
entrepreneurs who guide companies through the most pivotal stages
of growth. Some of our notable investments include Airbnb, StubHub,
Ipreo, Addepar, Hopper, iCapital, SIMON and GoodLeap. The firm has
offices in New York, San Francisco, New Hampshire and London. For
more information, visit www.WestCap.com.
Media Contact: Christie Engelbrecht Email:
christina.engelbrecht@flyr.com Phone: 510-918-8411