Five startups, one from each of four regions from around the
world and the fifth from a wildcard category, have advanced to compete in the
Grand Finals of the 2023 Global Startup Pitch, produced by WiT and Phocuswright,
both part of Northstar Travel Group.
The Grand Finals will take place at WiT Singapore, October
2-4.
For the semifinal competition Thursday, a team of nearly 20
judges picked the following finalists out of a pool of 18 contenders:
- Asia Pacific: Tour Amigo
- Middle East/Africa: Direx
- Europe: Zytlyn Technologies
- Americas: Legends
- Wild Card: Squadtrip
“Congratulations
to the five winners of the semifinals. They represent superbly the robust
innovation and diversity of the global travel tech landscape,” said Yeoh Siew Hoon,
founder of WiT.
“We are excited to welcome them to Singapore, where we will pick
the Global Startup of the Year. It’s been a long journey – this event started
in March with 111 startups, whittled down to 25 in May and then five [Thursday].
There will be a sixth finalist chosen during the Korean Travel Startup Pitch at
the WiT Bootcamp.”
And
said Phocuswright managing director Pete Comeau, “It was a marathon session and
it’s rewarding to see the different threads of this year-long competition
converge at WiT Singapore, and the ultimate winner gets a presentation spot at The Phocuswright Conference in Fort Lauderdale, November 13-16. All the startups did an incredible
job pitching, and we thank the judges for their hard work getting us to the
Grand Finals.”
The Global Startup Pitch is part of WiT and Phocuswright’s ongoing
commitment to cultivate innovation, which also includes Phocuswright's Innovation: Launch, Startup Programs, PhocusWire’s Hot 25 Travel Startups, WiT Bootcamps and more.
As part of the semifinal event, Natalia Bayona, executive
director of the United Nations World Tourism Organization, shared a message via video
about why and how the organization is prioritizing innovation and digital
transformation across the travel industry.
Watch Bayona’s full message below.