Barcelona's TravelPerk acquires US business travel platform NexTravel

TravelPerk, a Spanish company that has grown into a global travel management platform, has acquired US business travel platform NexTravel to accelerate expansion in the US market. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition will include NexTravel’s customer base, technology, employees and inventory. Founded in 2013 and launched from Y Combinator in 2015, the Californian startup counts over 700 business clients who book, manage, expense and report employee travel on the platform. As for TravelPerk, the Barcelona-based business spent 2020 future-proofing products to help users navigate travel during the pandemic. After acquiring risk management startup Albatross in July, the team released TravelSafe API. The standalone product makes real-time data on Covid-19 travel restrictions available to the whole travel sector. Focus in 2021 will be growing in North America. The company also announced a partnership with US-based Southwest Airlines. Existing clients will now be able to access Southwest Airlines’s full inventory for booking domestic flights in the US.