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Hi there,

Not sure about you, but over the past weekend, I watched CNN for what felt like 48 hours straight.

Apparently, I was not the only one in Germany doing so. According to Google search data, more people googled CNN than Netflix in the last 7 days.

For comparison, Netflix usually generates 16 times more Google searches in Germany than CNN. 

No doubt about it, this was a presidential election with a truly global relevance.

Speaking of (almost) equally significant news: our brand-new research report is out!

It’s focused on Asia. But the insights are especially relevant for us in the West – giving us a glimpse into how the future of Travel and Mobility Tech might look like several months from now. 

Give it a read. The download link can be found below.

Lennart Dobravsky
Director Research & Intelligence, Lufthansa Innovation Hub

 Trends 

The lack of corporate innovation in the travel industry

We live in a world where every industry, to some degree, is becoming a technology industry. "Software is eating the world", as Marc Andreessen famously stated back in 2011.

Unfortunately, most traditional companies in the travel and tourism industry have focused too little on finding opportunities for new technology-enabled business models and revenue streams outside their own core businesses. 

The result: fewer and fewer travel companies are among the most innovative firms in the world.

This year, only one travel-related company, Airbus, is ranked among BCG's 50 most innovative companies in the world – down from six travel companies (or 12% of all firms ranked) back in 2016.  
But there is a positive side to this lack of innovation in our industry.

Startup founders tend to target exactly those verticals that have missed out on leveraging the opportunities technology and digital innovation has to offer.
Startups lead the way
No wonder that thousands of startups around the globe have been working fearlessly on innovative solutions that make travel more efficient, frictionless, and interconnected.

In order to shed light on the accelerating innovation dynamics in the Travel and Mobility Tech landscape, we rigorously track and analyze venture capital (VC) investments in startups that offer products and services along the traveler journey.
Why we follow the money
Tracking VC investments into startups is a powerful early indicator to better understand where the smartest, most innovative investors, and future-oriented corporations are placing their bets.

We strongly believe that the future is created by entrepreneurs and people willing to bet on it. To anticipate where markets are heading, we strive to capture and analyze every single dollar invested into relevant startups in the travel and mobility arena.

And this brings us to today's highlight of the newsletter: our brand-new research report.

It's full of data charts on investment dynamics in our industry.

So keep scrolling down...
 Research 

Free Report: The State of Travel and Mobility Tech in Asia

For the better part of the past decade, Asia has been the powerhouse of the global Travel and Mobility Tech sector.

More than half of global VC funding in the sector has flown into startups in the region since 2010, giving rise to some of the most valuable unicorns in the world, such as DiDi or Traveloka.
This report digs deeper into why investors have been so bullish on Asia and traces the early days of the Asian Travel and Mobility Tech sector. 

We also study the drivers for growth and the dramatic impact of the pandemic on Asian travel and mobility providers.

As Asia is not a homogenous continent, we break it into three distinct regions and zoom into the specific trends across Greater China, Southeast Asia, and India.
Download Report
 Press Picks 

Our recommended must reads 

OUR TAKE ON SCOOTERS – What SoftBank backing Berlin-based e-scooter operator Tier means for European micromobility based on commentary from your favorite corporate innovation hub.
 Read more by sifted  
THE VIRTUAL PIVOT – The travel industry is clearly being dealt a blow by company travel bans, but could anyone have pictured an amount on this scale? Apparently, Amazon saved $1B so far with corporate travel shut down.
 Read more by Skift  
AIRBNB VS HOTELS – Airbnb already boasts more listings worldwide than the five largest hotel chains combined. What does this mean for Airbnb's valuation when the firm goes public? 
 Read more by Prof Galloway
SONIC CITIES – What did cities sound like during the lockdown? Explore five city parks in NYC and how their soundscapes have changed with COVID-19.
 Read more by MIT Senseable City Lab
THE FUTURE OF TRAVEL – Virgin Hyperloop announced that for the first time it has conducted a test of its ultra-fast transportation system with human passengers.
 Read more by The Verge
THE FUTURE OF TRAVEL PT.II – Virgin Galactic is planning to launch a suborbital test flight this month in the first-ever human spaceflight conducted from New Mexico.
 Read more by Space.com
HOT STARTUPS 2021 – Phocuswire's Hot 25 List is a collection of companies that have survived the onset of the global pandemic and that can, as equally important, thrive in 2021.
 Read more by Phocuswire  
 Deal Tracker 

Most recent Venture Capital deals

 = Exit Alert (startup listed at the stock exchange or got acquired)

 = Unicorn Alert (post-deal company valuation at >$1B) 

 

 Pony.ai – the Chinese autonomous driving technology developer raised $267M from Eight Roads, Fidelity Investments, Morningside Venture Partners, and further investors. 

Tier Mobility – the Berlin-based e-scooter sharing startup raised $250M from Softbank Vision Fund, White Star Capital, and further investors. 

 GetYourGuide – the German online travel platform for booking tours and activities raised $133M in a form of convertible notes from Searchlight Capital, SoftBank Vision Fund, KKR, and further investors. 

 Hopin – the UK-based virtual event platform raised $125M from Tiger Global, Accel, and further investors.

Zhiketong – the Chinese hotel sales & marketing specialist raised $50M from Vision Capital, CYTS Hongqi Fund, and further investors. 

Ather Energy – the Indian e-scooter manufacturer raised $35M from Sachin Bansal, Hero MotoCorp, and further investors. 

Minieye – the Chinese vehicle technology provider enabling drivers to use autonomous driving in bad weather raised $40M from Harvest Global Investments, Huaqin Telecom, and further investors. 

Hermeus – the US-based supersonic aircraft manufacturer raised $16M from Canaan Partners, Khosla Ventures, and further investors. 

Emissive – the French mixed reality startup that brings VR expeditions to museums raised $6.88M from ArtNova, Vive X Accelerator, and Bpifrance. 

Chargery – the Berlin-based e-vehicle charging and mobility service marketplace raised $5.88M from Helvetia Venture Fund and Lead Ventures. 

Vertical Aerospace – the UK-based eVTOL aircraft developer raised $3.04M from the UK government through the Aerospace Technology Institute Program.

Sherpa – the Canadian visa service provider raised $2.5M from Narrative Capital, Relay Ventures, and True Ventures. 

Routematic – the Indian transport platform to facilitate employee commute raised $2M from Bosch. 

Railofy – the Indian travel booking platform offering booking guarantees raised $1.49M from Astarc Ventures, Better Capital, Chiratae Ventures India Advisors, and further investors. 

Sanmaoyou – the Chinese travel platform providing global travel and culture contents raised $1.5M from New Oriental Education & Technology Group. 

Centred – the London-based wellness concierge services for travelers raised $1.3M from T9L, and YesVentures. 

Tourplus – the Malaysian online travel platform to book local guides raised $0.99M from GT-MAX, SOSV.

TripAdmit – the Irish startup providing end-to-end online sales and distribution solutions for tour and activity providers raised $592K from Enterprise Ireland’s High Potential Start-Up unit and further investors. 

 Tramada – the Australia-based cloud-based travel management software provider was acquired by Corporate Travel Management (CTM). 

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