Recap: The 3rd TIC & VIR Travel Start-up Night 2023 at TalkTourism in Munich
TIC & VIR Travel Start-up Night München
This was the third TIC&VIR Travel Start-up Night at TalkTourism in Munich. On June 15, 2023, the audience filled the House of Communication for a final networking evening following two engaging days of events. There had been a lot of hype leading up to the event, and selecting the five startups from among all the applicants was no easy task. Around 50 guests attended the startup competition. From students to top-tier industry experts, a diverse audience was on hand, fostering an exciting exchange.
Welcome Address & Keynote Speech
The TIC & VIR Travel Start-up Night kicked off in Munich at 6 p.m. Michael Buller, Chairman of the Verband Internet Reisevertrieb e.V., opened the evening together with our moderator, Dr. Sven Sterzenbach from Munich University of Applied Sciences. Together with representatives of the co-hosts of Talk Tourism—Isabelle Decker from Saint Elmo’sand Tobias Klöpf from Project M —they warmly welcomed the numerous guests.
Before the pitches from the five selected startups began, the audience was treated to an engaging keynote address by Timo Fürbaß of German Entrepreneurship, perfectly suited to the TalkTourism theme, titled “Journey into the Future: Startups and Corporates as Travel Buddies.”
3, 2, 1… Pitch
Thomas Dickhoff, Founder of click&share
And so began the battle for the evening’s victory and a spot in the finals of Travel Start-up Nights 2023.
First to speak was Thomas Dickhoff, founder and CEO of Click&Share. Click&Share is a cloud-based, automated rental solution that integrates with smart locks to enable contactless pickup and return, offered as a SaaS model. Thanks to this startup, the previously labor-intensive and expensive rental of bicycles, SUPs, and kayaks is now fully automated and operates 24/7. Click&Share offers a SaaS solution that can be integrated with various smart lock systems.
Jana Maria Jacob, founder of cloopio
Next up was Jana Maria Jacobs, co-founder of cloopio. The startup brings employees together by offering curated offsite packages that include accommodations, meeting rooms, transportation, catering, and team activities. Cloopio operates in the B2B travel market and focuses specifically on corporations, scale-ups, and startups that work in a hybrid or remote setting. They run the first booking platform for offsites and retreats in Germany.
Isabelle Winter, Founder of Select Green Hotels
Isabelle Winter was the third speaker to address the audience. The founder of Select Green Hotels offers a commission-based booking platform for hand-picked, unique, special, and personalized hotels. They address the problem that, despite the many green hotel portals and filter criteria available on major platforms, many customers still find it difficult to locate a truly appealing sustainable hotel. Through their careful pre-selection process, they simplify the search. Her customers are primarily in the DACH region, though the UK and North America represent a growing market for the startup.
Kathrin Sander, co-founder of plazy
Next up was Kathrin Sander, co-founder of plazy. The startup develops a progressive web app for travelers in collaboration with destination management organizations, hotels, and tour operators. Plazy targets two main groups: B2B and B2C. DMOs, tour operators, and hotels want to reach their guests in a targeted way and present their offerings in an authentic and appealing manner. Users often feel overwhelmed by travel planning because they want to experience something special and find tips that suit their needs without much effort. This is exactly where the startup comes in with its multimedia travel guide.
Daniel Kopeinik, co-founder of wependio
The event concluded with a presentation by Daniel Kopeinik, CEO and co-founder of wependio. The startup solves the problem of complicated and time-consuming travel planning by offering travelers a user-friendly platform that helps them select, book, and personalize their trips. Its unique selling point lies in the combination of advanced algorithms, artificial intelligence, and an extensive network of curated travel options, resulting in tailored recommendations and exclusive offers.
Who will win Start-up Night?
Fragen aus dem Publikum
After each pitch, the audience had time to ask the founders questions. Thanks to the many ideas and suggestions from the audience, this usually provides an ideal opportunity for the startups to refine their business models. As usual, the expert input sparked interesting discussions, even after the event.
Before the evening drew to a close with a delicious buffet and refreshing drinks, the awards ceremony took place. Dr. Sven Sterzenbach and Michael Buller announced the winners of the Munich Start-up Night. The Austrian start-up Wependio made the strongest impression on the guests at the end of the day with its business model. Daniel Kopeinik, co-founder of Wependio, thereby secured one of the coveted spots for the TIC & VIR Travel Start-up Night 2023 Final in Frankfurt. Second-place finisher Jana Maria Jacob from Cloopio also received an honor. Cloopio thus still has a chance to secure a spot among the year’s top runners-up in the final.
wpendio Wins Travel Start-up Night in Munich
We would like to take this opportunity to extend our heartfelt thanks to all our guests, the startups, our moderator, the keynote speaker, and, of course, our event partners and hosts. Thanks to you all, we can look back on a very successful evening and a perfect TIC & VIR Travel Startup Night in Munich.
Start-ups der Travel Start-up Night 2023 in München
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