INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Imagine being in a new city with a few hours to kill, but no idea what to do
Headout is a travel app that enables tourists to book outings at very short notice, in most cases on the same day
The startup announced today that it raised a $10 million Series A led by returning investors Nexus Venture Partners and Version One Ventures
to support its ambitious growth targets.
Over the next 18 months, co-founder and CEO Varun Khona says the startup wants to expand from 20
cities to 100 cities in North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific
The app recently added French, German and Spanish in select markets and aims to have all of its inventory available in 12 languages by the
Its bookings includes sightseeing tours, museum tickets and shows.
Headout Series A brings its total raised to $12 million
Its seed round was announced in 2015, when TechCrunch first profiled the company
The startup claims it has grown eight times over the past 12 months and is profitable.
As it enters new markets, however, Headout will be up
against a roster of competitors that also offer experience bookings for tourists
These include Klook, TripAdvisor-owned Viator, Get Your Guide and Airbnb Experiences feature.
Khona says Headout main edge is tailoring its
inventory and technology platform for &spontaneous last-minute mobile use cases.& It also a managed marketplace, meaning it standardizes
pricing and quality, with the hope of creating a consistent experience across all outings
The startup says this focus on combining quality with unit economics means it enabled customers to save an average of 18% on last-minute
