InterLnkd Triumphs at WTM Start-Up Pitch Battle

The UK-based start-up was selected by the judges from a line-up of seven others. Each start-up was given three minutes to pitch, followed by another three minutes of quick-fire questions.

The judges were headed up by Evantia Giumba, EMEA Business Development Director for Amadeus Launchpad, the travel technology giant’s program which supports how start-ups, scale-ups and SMEs can access the Amadeus ecosystem.

“This year’s pitch battle was a great eye-opener.”

She added, “and the seven pitches covered some familiar ideas reinvented with new tech, some innovative variations on an established themes and some truly original concepts.

“Every startup pitch I attend generates some fresh ideas for me to take back to the business, and this year’s pitch battle was no exception. We look forward to seeing how the winner, InterLnkd, continues to develop. We’re happy to share WTM’s commitment to the start-up community.”

InterLnkd raised £1m in seed funding last month and is already live with some big-name travel companies. During the Q&A following the pitches, CEO Barry Klipp said that one of its clients now rated InterLnkd as its best ever ancillary revenue stream.

Klipp continued: “Winning the start-up pitch battle is a great validation of what we have achieved so far, and we’re looking forward to exploring growth opportunities with Amadeus. By the time WTM London 24 comes around, we will have expanded our offering globally and opened up this totally new revenue stream for the industry.”

The other judges were: Simon Powell, founder and CEO of travel technology platform Inspiretec; Paul Richer of Genesys Consulting; and Gabriel Giscard d’Estaing from Cambon Partners, a corporate financing consultancy based in Paris.

Richer said: “It was a very high standard competition, but we opted for InterLnkd because we saw it as a differentiator, as offering something which has never been available before for the industry. We thought that their KPIs so far were impressive, particularly the fact that they have managed to sign up 20,000 brands.”

Jyrney, a mobility platform which aggregates ride-hail, taxi apps, car rental and more into a single feed, was given an honorary mention by Giumba.

Juliette Losardo Exhibition Director, WTM London, said: “WTM London always considered the needs of the start-up community when devising the event, and the various incarnations of the start-up pitch battles always prove popular.

“This year’s line-up was one of the strongest ever seen on the start-up stage, covering many of the industry’s biggest issues – increasing revenues, mobility, trip planning, AI, engaging with the local communities….

“InterLnkd was a worthy winner from a very high-quality field, and we look forward to seeing how the business has grown when welcoming it to the show floor for 2024.”

eTurboNews is a media partner for World Travel Market (WTM).

SOURCE: InterLnkd Triumphs at WTM Start-Up Pitch Battle