Skift grip
Roami has a unique approach to acquiring short-term rental units, and Doroni Aerospace wants to build personal planes that can be stored in a two-car garage.
Justin Dawes
Three travel tech startups raised $23.5 million this week.
>>Roami, a vacation rental platform, raised $14 million in Series A funding and rebranded from its former name, Sextant Stays. The round was led by Vigo Capital.
Miami-based Roami operates more than 500 units in South Florida and New Orleans, all designed for group travel. The company manages all of the buildings that contain these units, not just specific floors or rooms in various buildings.
The funding will be used to expand into local markets and beyond.
Roami has grown 800% over the past three years and made more than $40 million in revenue in 2022, the company said.
Two of the startup’s founders, Brandreth Canaley and Iskander Karimov, were on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2022 for consumer technology. The startup also ranked #442 on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies in 2022.
“The company’s steady growth since 2020 despite volatile external conditions proves that it truly understands how to meet the needs of the modern Roamer and we look forward to seeing its continued growth and expansion,” said Kirill Vinogradov of Vigo Capital.
>>everaan electric vehicle taxi service provider, raised $7m in two rounds of pre-Series A funding. It was initially led by IEG Investment Banking Group, followed by Devonshire Capital subsidiary Direct Capital and Westova Overall.
The New Delhi-based startup operates more than 230 taxis in Terminal 3 of New Delhi Airport. The startup expects to have nearly 2,000 more by the end of the year, with plans to continue growing the business.
>>Doroni Aerospace raised nearly $2.5 million from over 1,000 people through a crowdfunding campaign on StartEngine. The company was valued at $158.8 million from the campaign.
Florida-based Doroni is developing an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft for public sales.
“We’re building what we believe will be the go-to family vehicle of the future, capable of revolutionizing the way we live, get around, and even build cities if sized correctly,” the company said on its crowdfunding page. . “As the industry launches commercial air taxi operations, Doroni aims to disrupt the personal mobility market because we believe personal eVTOLs – not commercial air taxis – are the future of transportation. .”
The company said it has developed the technology components and entered into partnerships to speed up production, with plans to complete a flying prototype in the coming months.
>>We ski, a booking platform for skiers and snowboarders, has raised an undisclosed amount from Roch Ventures. (See Skift’s story.)
| Business | Arrange | Carry out | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roami | A-Series | Vigo Capital | $14 million |
| evera | Pre-series | IEG Investment Bank, Direct Capital, Westova Global | $7 million |
| Doroni Aerospace | Crowdfunding | Crowdfunding | $2.5 million |
Skift Cheat Sheet
Seed capital is money used to start a business, often led by angel investors and friends or family.
A-Series funding usually comes from venture capitalists. The cycle aims to help startup founders ensure that their product is something customers actually want to buy.
B-series funding is mostly for venture capitalists that help a business grow faster. These fundraisers can help recruit skilled workers and develop profitable marketing.
C-Series financing generally consists of helping a company to grow, for example through acquisitions. In addition to VCs, hedge funds, investment banks, and private equity firms often participate.
Series D, E and beyond These mostly mature companies and the funding cycle can help a company prepare to go public or be acquired. Various types of private investors could participate.