Planned, a startup that provides a
solution for corporate travel and events, has raised $35 million in Series B
funding.
The round was led by Drive Capital with
participation from Outsiders Fund and two other firms the company did not name, and it brings the
startup's total funding to $65 million since it launched in 2017.
Based in Montreal, Planned said it
combines human service with artificial intelligence to provide comprehensive
sourcing, booking, payment and policy management for events and travel. Current
clients included PwC, Block, AWS and Instacart.
“The meetings and events industry is highly complex and remains
profoundly traditional and labor intensive to this day. But AI changed
everything,” said Marc Bonin, co-founder and CEO of Planned.
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"Our vision is that by combining human service and AI, we can
challenge the status quo that traditional travel and sourcing agencies [travel
management companies] present and provide a faster, more personalized service
to clients. We believe that the TMC of the future has to be tech-enabled, and
fundraising will allow us to accelerate our development.”
Planned said it will use the funding to
expand its AI capabilities, continue global expansion and launch an online
booking tool.
“We're thrilled to support Planned in their growth phase,”
said Masha Khusid, partner at Drive Capital.
“Their unique positioning, selling service powered by AI, sets
them apart in the market. We've seen exceptional execution from the team and
believe in their vision to revolutionize the travel and events industry.”
Along with the funding, Planned announced that Hopper co-founder
and CEO Fred Lalonde has joined its board.