FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

Thai start-up in line for major funding

Thai start-up in line for major funding

Somsak Boonkam’s start-up Local Alike, which matches foreign tourists’ interests to specific experiences being offered locally, is one of 10 companies selected for an “accelerator programme” in sustainable tourism being organised by Booking.com.

The website on Tuesday published the list of “finalists” for its Booking.com Booster programme, by which start-ups that aim to have a positive impact on the tourism industry will be funded and mentored. 
Representatives of all 10 selected ventures will participate in a three-week programme in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in June. Each will have a chance to make a pitch to a panel comprised of Booking executives and industry experts for grants equivalent to Bt19 million.
Nearly 700 start-ups with teams of 102 nationalities applied to join the programme, the website said. The US, India, the Netherlands, Russia and Italy had the highest numbers of applicants.
Also chosen for the Booster programme are MovingWorlds (based in the United States and Colombia), Awake (Colombia), Visit.org (US), Authenticook (India), Backstreet Academy (Singapore), Seabin (Australia and Spain), Mejdi Tours (Israel and Palestine), Desolenator (Britain) and Good Hotel (Guatemala, Britain and the Netherlands).

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