Sojern provides digital marketing solutions and real-time audiences for the travel industry, specializing in traveler path-to-purchase data. Its platform drives bookings through programmatic display, video, social, mobile and native advertising tailored to travel audiences. The company has made its real-time audiences available to top clients via a programmatic in-house offering and acquired Facebook and Instagram Marketing Partner Adphorus in late 2017. Sojern has tested connected TV and has closely followed trends in travel marketing. The company reports it has delivered $13 billion in bookings for clients to date and serves 93 percent of the world’s Fortune 500 travel companies along with thousands of independent hotel properties and local tourism providers. Sojern is led by CEO Mark Rabe and is headquartered in San Francisco with 13 global locations. Sojern is a traveler engagement platform led by CEO Mark Rabe that leverages machine-learning technology, enhanced programmatic buying (real-time bidding), and data-derived insights. The company provides marketing, distribution, monetization and insight solutions at scale for travel brands. Customers include American Airlines, American Express, Avis|Budget Group, Choice, Enterprise, Hertz, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Las Vegas Tourism, Marriott, Microsoft, Samsonite, Starwood, United and US Airways. Headquartered in San Francisco, Sojern opened its EMEA headquarters in London in Q1 2013 and also has offices in New York and Omaha. The company raised $10M in a Series C and plans to use the funds to recruit commercial, engineering and data science people to continue to innovate and scale its platform. Management intends to develop intelligent targeting solutions using the expanded team and capital. Sojern builds targeted advertising products for the travel industry, originally selling ads on boarding passes and now offering the Sojern Media Platform, an audience re‑targeting service for travel. The Media Platform relies on about 50 million pieces of anonymized travel data, algorithms and other technology and reaches hundreds of publishers to serve targeted ads during trip planning and while travelers are on a trip. The platform was introduced late last year and is the company's fastest‑growing line of business. Sojern does not break out revenues, but CEO Mark Rabe says the company booked more revenue in the first three months of this year than it did for all of 2011. The company has strategic partnerships with several airlines and travel companies—some holding undisclosed equity stakes—including Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, US Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, Carlson Wagonlit, Kayak and Travelport. The recently announced funding will be used primarily to grow the company’s U.S. business. International expansion is planned but seen as more challenging due to a fragmented market of smaller, regional carriers. Sojern is an Omaha, Neb.-based vertical travel advertising network offering cross-channel marketing solutions to advertisers. The company leverages online check-in and print-at-home functionality to enable travel partners to deliver additional value to passengers while allowing advertisers to target specific audience segments. Sojern serves display impressions on boarding passes, itineraries and other travel-related properties through partnerships with Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines, US Airways, United Airlines and Travelport. In August 2010 it secured $9M in venture capital funding. The new capital will be used to expand Sojern’s product offerings and provide enhanced solutions for its travel and advertising industry partners and customers. Founder and CEO Gordon Whitten said the funding will help the company meet the continually changing needs of the travel and advertising industries and diverse consumer needs.

Total raised

$147M

Funding rounds

4

Latest round

Series D

Latest activity

Nov 2018