Acai Travel raises $4 million seed round headed up by Nauta alongside DraperB1 and One Travel Ventures

Acai Travel has raised a $4 million seed round led by Nauta, with participation from DraperB1 and existing investor One Travel Ventures.

The cash will help the startup expand its mission to build an AI powered operating system for travel operations, providing an all in one solution to double agent efficiency, optimise travel call centres, and enhance the traveler experience.

The platform supports a client base across all travel segments, featuring the likes of Kiwi.com, lastminute.com, World Travel, and Goway.

Riccardo Vittoria (Co-founder and CEO) and Henry Chen Weinstein (Co-founder and Executive Chairman) founded Acai Travel in 2023, building on the successful exit of their previous startup collaboration, 30SecondsToFly, founded by Vittoria.

Weinstein, a prominent travel tech investor, was an early backer of the startup, which was later acquired by American Express Global Business Travel. Vittoria then led the AI efforts at AMEX GBT before co-founding Acai Travel. Weinstein brings industry experience from advising and managing funds for Boeing, Lufthansa, EL AL, Gate Group and Avolta, while Vittoria's expertise in AI, travel operations, and digital customer experience shaped the vision for Acai Travel. 

"Acai is using AI to modernise travel operations with fast and easy to use tools so agents can focus on what they do best - delivering exceptional travel experiences. It’s an exciting milestone to raise a seed round from experienced investors who understand the industry challenge and are backing us to solve it," says Vittoria.

"In under four months, we've reduced average handling time by 20% for one of our TMC customers on a single account. As we roll-out our full suite of products, including enabling non-GDS trained agents to manage complex requests, we can achieve a 70% cost reduction. It’s time to bring travel operations into the 21st century - AI is the key to making that happen,” says Weinstein.

"Covid-19 restrictions caused a huge drop in demand for travel and subsequently led to many trained agents leaving the sector. As demand returned to pre-pandemic levels, companies have struggled with efficiency and profitability,” says Jordi Viñas, General Partner at Nauta.

“But Acai Travel’s platform, making use of LLM technologies and deep sector expertise, transforms travel operations by enabling companies to reduce handling times, hire untrained agents and build a cheaper, more flexible workforce. We’ve been really impressed by the founding team’s industry experience and are really excited to see the impact they have on the travel industry over the long-term.”

2024 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

AI is a key focus area for the sixth edition of the RTIH Innovation Awards, which are now closed for entries.

The awards, sponsored by Vista Technology Support, Scala, CADS, 3D Cloud, Brightpearl by Sage’s Lightning 50, Business France, and Retail Technology Show 2025, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Key 2024 dates

Friday, 25th October: Award entry deadline 

Tuesday, 29th October: 2024 shortlist revealed

30th October-6th November: Judging days

Thursday, 21st November: Winners announced at the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards ceremony, to be held at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London.