AI was supposed to kill the travel agent. Instead it just minted a billion-dollar one.
Fora, a platform that lets ordinary people become travel agents and gives travellers a way to find them, has raised a $60m Series D at a $1bn valuation led by Forerunner and Tactile Ventures. It has 15,000+ advisors (97% new to the profession) who have booked over $3bn in travel, an accelerating curve. Fora is spending the money on Via, an embedded AI assistant that handles admin so advisors focus on clients, an explicit augment-not-replace bet in a category the internet and AI were supposed to kill.
Travel agents were supposed to be an early casualty of the internet, and then of AI. A company built entirely on human travel agents has instead become a unicorn, according to Fora’s announcement.
Fora has raised $60m in a Series D at a $1bn post-money valuation. The round was led by Forerunner and Tactile Ventures, taking total funding to $138.5m.
The backing...
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