Traveltech firm Amadeus to expand VC arm to Asia Pacific next year

Global traveltech firm Amadeus announced plans to expand its startup investment program, Amadeus Ventures, to back early-stage traveltech startups in Asia Pacific in Q1 2020.

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Established in 2014, Amadeus Ventures provides funding, industry knowledge, technology, and customer reach to its portfolio companies. Amadeus said it has introduced more than 150 startups to its business units and has developed over 20 joint projects with the companies it has invested in.

“Our main aim in expanding Amadeus Ventures across APAC is to encourage and nurture innovation in the travel industry,” said Amadeus Ventures head Suzanna Chiu. “It’s a ripe market to be a startup in, and given the global scope of our business, we are on the search for business ideas and models that can be scaled across borders.”

According to the latest e-Conomy SEA report from Google, Temasek, and Bain & Company, over US$37 billion of capital has flowed into the internet economy over the last four years, more than US$7 billion of which went to roughly 3,000 internet economy startups in Southeast Asia.

Amadeus Ventures has also tapped Stephanie Strunk to act as its representative in Asia Pacific. She currently runs Amadeus Next, a traveltech startup community in the region.

“Travel startups across APAC are frequently disrupting the industry, challenging the way we think about innovation,” said Strunk. “With China leading in this space, we don’t expect the rest of APAC will be that far behind, working on new solutions and ideas to enhance the overall traveler experience.”