Travelstart is an online travel company offering low airfares on international and domestic flights, vehicle hire from top car rental companies, and hotel reservations bookable globally. The company operates across several African countries as well as across the GCC. It was founded in 1999 by Stephan Ekbergh, who serves as CEO. Travelstart has offices in Cape Town and Dubai. The company intends to use new funding to expand into additional geographies and to grow in new verticals. The article does not disclose revenue, user metrics, or other financial details. Travelstart operates an in-house OTA platform that provides travellers with real-time access to thousands of flights across carriers on mobile and desktop. The company addresses local market complexities in Africa by accessing local supply and solving language, currency and diverse payment-method challenges. Travelstart says it serves 2 million monthly users in 16 countries and holds roughly 75% market share in its African markets. The business has been growing profitably since its African operations were spun off in 2010 from the original 1999 Sweden founding. Travelstart maintains offices in Cape Town, Dubai, Istanbul, Lagos, Cairo and Dar es Salaam. The new funding is intended to support expansion and to solidify its position as the largest OTA player on the continent.

Total raised

$40M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Equity

Latest activity

Feb 2016