Expedia Group to Sponsor the Future of Travel Startup Pitch Competition in Miami

LAB Miami Ventures is proud to announce its collaboration with Expedia Group on the 2019 Future of Travel Tech Summit, presented by JetBlue Technology Ventures. Expedia Group is sponsoring the pitch competition for Travel Tech startups from around the globe, the finalists of which will present on stage at the summit on Feb. 12, 2019, to executives from across the travel and hospitality industry. 

Through its vast portfolio of brands and technology capabilities, Expedia Group is removing barriers to travel and bringing the world within reach for customers and partners. As the world’s travel platform, Expedia Group encompasses more than 200 travel booking sites in over 75 countries including Expedia, HomeAway, Hotels.com, trivago, Orbitz, Travelocity, Hotwire and VRBO and have been ranked by Forbes as one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies in 2018.

“Technology fundamentally changed the way we travel. We are thrilled to support the Future of Travel Tech Summit, an event created to celebrate the role of technology in the travel industry,” said Rachel Bird, vice president for market management, North America, Expedia Group. “New advancements in areas like Artificial Intelligence have the potential to push our industry in a new era, creating countless opportunities for both consumers and companies that are part of the travel ecosystem. We can’t wait to see the ideas that surface through the competition. Any one of them could be the Next Big Thing in Travel.” 

The pitch competition is designed to facilitate commercial pilots with industry leaders and fundraising from VC investors attending the event. Finalists will be invited to pitch their ideas on the main stage at the event and participate in private meetings with investors and executives from Expedia Group, HomeAway, JetBlue Technology Ventures, Thayer Ventures, Amadeus, Airbnb, Uber, GetARoom and many others. In previous years, finalists from the pitch competition resulted in commercial pilots with industry leaders and fundraising from venture capital investors. 

The deadline to apply for the pitch competition is Jan. 6, 2019, at 12 a.m. Apply Here. 

LAB Miami Ventures ideates new tech businesses and then develops them from scratch in partnership with highly motivated entrepreneurs. Our team provides marketing, finance and product services and through our events, we bridge a gap that connects leading startups with established corporations and investors.

About Expedia Group  

Expedia Group (NASDAQ: EXPE) is the world's travel platform. We help knock down the barriers to travel, making it easier, more enjoyable, more attainable and more accessible. We are here to bring the world within reach for customers and partners around the globe. We leverage our platform and technology capabilities across an extensive portfolio of businesses and brands to orchestrate the movement of people and the delivery of travel experiences on both a local and global basis. Our family of travel brands includes: Brand Expedia®, Hotels.com®, Expedia® Partner Solutions, Egencia®, trivago®, HomeAway®, VRBO®, Orbitz®, Travelocity®, Wotif®, lastminute.com.au®, ebookers®, CheapTickets®, Hotwire®, Classic Vacations®, Expedia Group™ Media Solutions, CarRentals.com™, Expedia Local Expert®, Expedia® CruiseShipCenters®, SilverRail Technologies Inc., ALICE and Traveldoo®. For more information, visit www.expediagroup.com.