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Black-female-owned travel tech company Travelsist has just secured a $250K investment from Fearless Fund, a venture capital firm built by women of color, for women of color. The Atlanta-based startup provides concierge services and on-demand assistance for airport travelers through its online platform.
Travelist will use the investment to continue the development of its technology platform. It will also expand research, sales, and marketing functions while continuing to raise its pre-seed round.
The company was founded in 2018 when Founder & CEO Veronica Woodruff experienced the struggle of traveling alone with her young daughter, firsthand. Since then, the company has evolved to solve human capital shortages that both airports and airlines have suffered from as a result of COVID and a shifting labor market.
“Every single flight that takes off today, domestic or international, will carry passengers who need extra assistance. 18% of air travelers have disabilities that fall under ADA,” said Veronica Woodruff, Travelsist Founder & CEO. “The airlines and airports we speak to everyday tell us they are understaffed and unable to meet traveler needs. In 2022, as travel rebounds, this shortfall will grow, and Travelsist will be here to satisfy all of this new and existing demand.”
The Travelsist platform lets travelers request concierge services for things like wheelchair services, assistance navigating unfamiliar airports, help for non-English speaking travelers, or simply a much-needed extra pair of hands.
“Travelsist is perfectly positioned to capitalize on growing demand for personal on-demand services and the post-COVID air travel rebound,” says Arian Simone, General Partner and Co-Founder of Fearless Fund. “We have been amazed by Veronica’s business background and her vision, and Fearless Fund is thrilled to welcome Travelsist to our portfolio.”
“Veronica is a testament to what happens when your faith is greater than your fears and you press on despite so many people underestimating and ghosting you,” adds James Oliver, Jr, founder and CEO of the ParentPreneur Foundation. “I’m thankful to call her a friend and happy to have her as a beloved member of the ParentPreneur Foundation community and a previous grantee of the foundation.”
The Travelsist platform is designed to solve human capital headaches for the world’s largest airports and airlines, at-scale. Travelsist addresses compliance and ADA regulations, while also taking the air travel experience to new heights. For airports and airlines, a five-star experience is incredibly valuable when it comes to customer loyalty and retention, which is why for travelers, booking is as easy as texting. When a traveler books service, a Travelsist concierge is alerted with details on the traveler, their specific needs, and their precise location.
Launched in 2019, Fearless Fund invests in WOC-led businesses seeking pre-seed, seed level or series A financing. Its mission is to bridge the gap in venture capital funding for female founders of color building scalable, growth aggressive companies. Currently, Fearless Fund’s portfolio includes the following companies: EnrichHER, Range Beauty,AMP Beauty, HairBrella, Streamlytics, Capway, Clevr AI, AARMY and Slutty Vegan. The Fearless Fund team also runs The Fearless Foundation, a 501c3 organization with a goal to educate entrepreneurs through training, reduce racial inequities, and empower African-Americans to gain access to capital, as well as the Get Ready Venture Program, a 12-month training program for WOC business owners to acquire the needed training, mentorship, knowledge, and skills needed to gain access to capital.
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