Ready to Pitch? Apply now! 🏆

applications are now open for the FutureTravel Pitch Competition

Hi there,

We’re very excited to announce that applications are now open for this year’s FutureTravel Pitch Competition.

I’ve been thinking about past editions and what makes a startup truly stand out. The best teams bring more than a good idea or solid traction. They bring clarity: why the problem matters, why they care, and what makes their approach uniquely theirs.

At FutureTravel, we’ve taken this seriously from the start. Supporting early-stage startups isn’t a side note or a numbers game for us, it’s part of the core. We create the conditions for real visibility, conversations, and connections. And every year, we hear how much that space matters.

The prize package is amazing designed to be genuinely useful for early-stage teams. But what founders value most is often simpler: that moment when someone in the room really gets what they’re building, and wants to be part of it.

Applications are open until June 29, but my advice is: don’t wait until the last minute :)

What we are tracking

🚄 FlixTrain orders 65 new high-speed trains
Flix is doubling down on rail, with a major order for 230 km/h trains set to operate across five European countries by 2030. It’s a big shift for regional travel - and for consumer expectations.

🇺🇸 Wander raises $50M Series B
Wander wants to reinvent the short-term rental experience by owning every part of it: from the homes to the platform to the payments. With this new round, it's pushing further into a model built for control, not scale at any cost.

🇩🇰 Uber acquires Dantaxi in Denmark
A rare local acquisition for Uber. By bringing Denmark’s biggest taxi operator in-house, they seem to be reworking their European strategy city by city.

👫 WeRoad launches WeMeet
WeMeet is WeRoad’s new app for helping people connect through local events, no plane ticket required. Now live in 30+ cities across Europe, from drinks to yoga sessions and hikes, it brings their community-building mission closer to home.

Guest Post

We’re kicking off our new guest post series with a piece by Jeff Kim (CEO of Yanolja) reflecting on the company’s 20-year journey. From humble beginnings in Korean motels to becoming one of the most influential travel tech platforms in Asia.

Before checking out

Not funding rounds. Not product launches. Not deals. Just a couple of things we read this week that made us think about what’s shifting under the surface…

✈️ Boeing is fixing its culture.
Safety issues, misaligned incentives, and leadership disconnects. This piece on Boeing reads like a warning (and a reminder!) to any large-scale travel operator: culture is infrastructure. (via Inc.com)

See you next week,
Ana

Thank you for reading until the end.

The content of this newsletter is curated and published by Ana Metz, an innovation expert, passionate about technology and excited about the future of travel.

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FutureTravel is a weekly newsletter about the future of travel, featuring the most exciting news about innovation, trends and startups in the industry.