Making planning the perfect trip as seamless as possible, Amsterdam-based traveltech startup Stippl has just secured €400k. The startup, which pitched at last year’s FutureTravel Summit is now planning to take off on European expansion.
From checking out the dream destinations and looking at different accommodation options to planning out what to do – organizing a trip is pretty exciting. However, it’s not as efficient or streamlined as it could be, especially when it comes to group travel planning. As a result, the best deals and options can be missed, decisions become messy, and going beyond dreaming of the trip to actually booking it can become a bit of a headache.
Amsterdam-based Stipple wants to make this a thing of the past. The traveltech startup, which was a finalist at last year’s FutureTravel Summit, has just secured new funding as it jet sets its plans to expand.
Funding details
- €400k raised in a new round
- Investors include Volve Capital, ex-Instagram, and founders of Hadrian, and Clickpatrol.com
- Funding will be used to support international growth
Founded in 2021 by Luuk Verhoeven, Omar Sheshtawy, and Robin van Rijn, Stippl offers a one-stop destination for travellers looking to book and plan their travels. The platform puts an end to using endless websites, spreadsheets and so forth to find and book the best destinations.
Luuk Verhoeven: “Stippl is unique in its combination of the social aspect of travelling, such as sharing and getting inspired, with the most user-friendly and powerful planning software. Our goal is to enable users to effortlessly create, track and share the perfect travel plans.”
Stippl’s platform, available via website and app, allows users to easily create, organise and change travel itineraries – especially useful for friends or families planning trips together. Users start by selecting the travel dates and associated destinations in a ‘drag & drop’ planner, which can be shared and synced with others when the trips are planned by multiple people. Once the trip has been mapped out, Stippl can be used to find and book suitable accommodation, via popular sites like Booking or Airbnb, as well as transport options.
This means the entire trip can be researched, organised, planned and optimised from just one place.
In addition to the trip planning capabilities, the Amsterdam-based startup is also accessing the growing power of influencer inspiration. The platform also acts as a source for travel-inspo, highlighting different activities, hotspots, and hospitality venues like restaurants at the chosen destinations. This includes the recommendations and trips made by other Stippl users, travel influencers, and an extended selection of blogs and articles.
All activities and spots that appeal to users can be added to their planned trips or bucket lists, individually categorized by type, country, and location.
Travel bloggers and influencers, hotels and destination marketing organisations can use the platform to market content and pick up followers. They can share their eir trips, routes, and content on the platform to reach a broader target group and generate additional income. Besides this group of creators, Stippl focuses on partnerships with travel agencies, which often still use Excel, PDF documents, or inefficient software to share organised trips with their consumers. With Stippl, these itineraries improve in clarity, are better manageable, adaptable, and can easily be shared by consumers with their loved ones staying at home.
Rounding up the traveltech offering is the ability to book a trip without planning any of it. The platform also offers the option to copy complete journeys made by other members, or one of the ready-to-go journeys curated by the Stippl team, which afterwards can be adapted to individual tastes and needs. Personalised travel is one of the biggest trends within this space, and this option enables it, without relying on the user to be creative or put extra effort in.
The platform also takes control of practical matters such as costs – so the more beautiful parts of travel can be enjoyed without any stress. Costs, for example, can be tracked within the user’s profile and, if there are multiple travellers, are automatically divided up.
Since its soft launch in 2022, the startup has had a jet-setting year and already attracted more than 10k users. The team also participated in the Pitch Competition at this year’s FutureTravel Summit. Applications for the Pitch Competition at this year’s EU-Startups Summit are now open – apply here.
With this new funding, the Amsterdam-based team plans to fuel further international growth, set up new partnerships and develop new features.
