Announcing The Phocuswright Conference 2022 Innovation: Summit and Launch Winners

Travel industry research authority Phocuswright has announced the award winners of the latest Phocuswright Innovation Platform programs, Summit and Launch. The programs, held during The Phocuswright Conference, currently underway in Phoenix, AZ, provide the premier stages for global innovators to demonstrate new ideas that are set to change the travel industry.

Ten innovators, selected from PhocusWire’s Hot 25 Travel Startups for 2023, presented at Summit, the pitch competition for startups and scaleups, and twelve presented at Launch, the platform for scaleups and established companies to introduce new products. The winners represent the best of this elite group.

• Winner: Summit - Most Innovative Startup of the Year Award: Swayed Intelligence – personalized touchpoints for travelers in physical settings
• Swayed is also the recipient of the Thayer Ventures Award
• Runner up: Summit - Most Innovative Startup of the Year Award: Nectar – Fast, flexible funding for short-term rental managers
• Winner: Summit - People’s Choice Award: Nectar
• Winner: Launch - People’s Choice Award: @hotel by TripScout – the first hotel booking platform for social media
• Runner up: Launch - People’s Choice Award: CELITECH – brandable eSIM solution for travel-related companies

“Though the world is feeling back to normal for many of us, the pandemic caused far-reaching and seemingly permanent changes in the travel industry,” said Phocuswright's manager, research and innovation, Mike Coletta. “This year’s group of innovators embody today’s environment, from the accelerated digitization of operations to the expedited rise of short-term rentals to the drastically increased relevance of social media. The group brought forth creative and pragmatic solutions in all of these areas and so many more.”

573 innovators have now participated in Phocuswright's innovation events since the first Travel Innovation Summit in 2008. This esteemed group of Phocuswright Innovation alumni has brought countless innovations to the market. 402 of them have raised funding, adding up to over $8.5B collectively, and 103 have been acquired. View all of this year’s innovators and the alumni here.