The place are they now? Catching up with the Hot 25 Travel Startups for 2023

It has been a number of years since PhocusWire
named its Hot 25 Travel Startups for 2023.

As we put together to announce our class of 2026, we’re as soon as once more checking in with a few of our standout alumni of Hot 25 Travel Startups from 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. 

Many have since undergone main
transformations. Some, like Fora Travel, have scaled quickly by way of
important funding rounds and strategic acquisitions. Others, resembling
Fetcherr, which has additionally attracted sizeable funding, have strengthened their international footprint and investor backing as
airways race to undertake synthetic intelligence (AI)-driven income instruments.

Meanwhile, startups like Neoke are
advancing trusted digital id options that might reshape how vacationers
transfer securely throughout borders.

Some responses have been edited for
brevity.

Fetcherr

Specializing in dynamic pricing and
market forecasting, Fetcherr is on the forefront of AI-driven options for the
airline trade.

Co-founder and CEO Roy Cohen: 

The completion of the corporate’s third spherical of funding, led by
Salesforce Ventures, opening our international workplaces in Warsaw, Miami, Chicago and
Tel Aviv and efficiently onboarding all of our new shoppers and seeing excellent outcomes.

• The largest problem I’m coping with at present
  is:

Accommodating the demand and quick scale-up.

• My view on startup funding:

There’s much less curiosity in AI language fashions—extra curiosity in AI that creates true added worth to the
enterprise, and fewer curiosity in service options—extra curiosity in product/enterprise infrastructure options.

• The applied sciences or improvements that
  excites me probably the most are:

Innovations that
can create a real, measurable added worth. Innovations that show that
AI-based enterprise decision-making can considerably enhance the
outcomes. 

Fora Travel

Fora Travel goals to redefine the function of
journey advisors and energy the following technology of journey advisors.

Co-founder, Henley Vazquez:  

2025 has been a landmark 12 months for Fora. We introduced $60 million in
Series B and C funding, led by Thrive Capital and Insight Partners, to
speed up our mission to modernize the journey trade. Our neighborhood
surpassed $1.8 billion in bookings and greater than 3 million nights booked by advisors in all 50
U.S. states and throughout 92 international locations.

In August we introduced the acquisition of
Legends, an award-winning AI startup whose predictive information platform will energy
personalization throughout the Fora Advisor Portal, client-facing experiences and
provider instruments—a step change in how we join vacationers, advisors and
companions.

Another milestone was launching our accessibility coaching and certification program in partnership with an advisor
from our neighborhood, setting a brand new commonplace for inclusive, barrier-free luxurious
journey. We additionally expanded internationally with journey company licensing in British
Columbia and an company department in Mexico.

On the product entrance, we’ve continued
delivery significant improvements, from AI-powered itineraries to cost drop—a
function that alerts advisors when a refundable reserving drops by greater than 5% or
$50. Each new growth is designed to make our advisors extra productive and
shopper experiences extra seamless. 

• The largest problem I’m coping with at present is:

Our largest
problem—and best alternative—is scaling shortly whereas staying true to
our DNA. As we evolve right into a extra consumer-facing model, we should achieve this in a approach
that empowers our advisors. At the identical time, the tempo of innovation is
accelerating. We’re delivery new instruments at report velocity, and the problem is
making certain every launch meets our excessive requirements of high quality and craftsmanship.
Finally, traveler habits is shifting towards shorter reserving home windows and
larger expectations for comfort. The problem is proving that an advisor,
amplified by know-how, can ship one of the best of each worlds: belief and velocity,
at scale.

• My view on startup funding:

Startup funding has matured considerably because the 2021-22 cycle.
Today’s traders are extra disciplined, prioritizing sustainability,
effectivity and high-quality merchandise over a growth-at-all-costs mentality. And
our personal elevate this 12 months underscores that capital is out there for firms
creating actual, long-term worth.

The journey trade is at an inflection
level: It’s a $1.8 trillion market dominated by distribution channels that
don’t serve vacationers or suppliers significantly nicely. Fora is altering
that equation by decreasing the boundaries for individuals to construct journey companies
and by making a single, environment friendly distribution channel that delivers
higher-quality shoppers at decrease value.

• The applied sciences or improvements that
  excite me probably the most are:

The
convergence of people and know-how, particularly by way of AI. We see AI as a
power multiplier:

• For advisors, it removes the executive burden, enabling
  them to serve extra shoppers, market extra successfully and develop their
  companies quicker
• For vacationers, it delivers one of the best of each worlds—the velocity
  of an OTA mixed with the belief and experience of a human advisor.
• For companions, instruments like Legends’ predictive insights are
  unlocking smarter, extra environment friendly distribution at scale.

We’re additionally impressed by innovation that
extends past AI—resembling accessibility instruments that make barrier-free journey a
actuality for all, and community-driven platforms that foster genuine
connection between advisors and vacationers.

Neoke

By integrating trusted digital id,
Neoke is reworking the journey expertise by modernizing id verification.

Co-founder and CEO Vikas Bhola: 

Global scale and ecosystem development: Achieved 10X income development, increasing Neoke’s id infrastructure throughout airways, airports, governments and know-how companions. Together, we’re constructing a trusted international ecosystem that powers seamless, privacy-first journey—now making ready for launch with a 50 million-passenger airport hub.

Agentic id in motion: Advanced profile brokers and agentic orchestration, enabling customized, document-free journeys. In partnership with Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong International Airport, Narita Airport and the International Air Transport Association, Neoke showcased the world’s first contactless cross-border journey expertise—from reserving to borders to boarding.

• The largest problem I’m coping with at present
  is:

Staying narrowly centered whereas the
alternative panorama expands. We must make deliberate selections about the place
to use our efforts so each step aligns with our long-term imaginative and prescient. It’s
tempting to chase each adjoining use case, however sustaining that self-discipline in
focus is one thing we work on day-after-day.

• My view on startup funding:

The funding surroundings in the present day requires endurance and readability.
Decisions take longer, and traders are on the lookout for real conviction and
alignment. The greatest partnerships begin nicely earlier than a funding spherical; that is when
you possibly can actually see what every accomplice brings and whether or not they share your imaginative and prescient.
In the tip, it’s actually alignment, discovering traders who don’t simply imagine in
the imaginative and prescient however are prepared that will help you navigate the trail to get there.

• The applied sciences or improvements that
  excite me probably the most are:

Those
enabling agentic journey—the place clever programs collaborate, purpose and
act on a traveler’s behalf. Soon each journey—from reserving to frame—will
be guided by brokers that perceive your preferences, confirm your id and
work together securely throughout journey companions. Neoke builds the connective layer
that makes this attainable, enabling seamless, trusted and actually related
journey with out repeated information entries and id checks. 

At Neoke, our north star is evident: to make
belief programmable and interoperable throughout ecosystems. We see a world the place
each interplay, each agent and each service is related—the place individuals
and clever programs can navigate the digital world with confidence,
transparency and company.