What the business is
AI travel-planning chatbot that fetches data from sources such as Booking.com and Skyscanner
The bet
Combining Layla's flight, hotel and social strengths with Roam Around's itineraries makes one stronger AI travel product than two separate ones
Starting capital
Roam Around had raised $1M from investors including FLYR.com and Jason Calacanis; deal value undisclosed
How it started
Layla launched publicly in 2023 with an AI bot helping users plan trips using sources like Booking.com and Skyscanner, and a library of travel-creator content via co-founder Jeremy Jauncey of Beautiful Destinations. Roam Around was founded in 2023 by Shie Gabbai, a former Google employee who worked on Waze.
What happened
Co-founder Saad Saeed said Layla had focused on flight prediction, hotels and partnerships, and had been successful with social, while Roam Around focused on itineraries integrating with Viator and restaurants. Layla has begun integrating Roam Around's product to get better itinerary data and has put its bot on the Roam Around site.
How it ended up
Roam Around's team of five joined Layla, and Layla plans to slowly phase out the Roam Around brand and merge it fully into Layla. The price was not disclosed.
What has to be true
Roam Around had the fastest growth among travel AI startups, per Layla's co-founder
Layla lacked the deep itinerary products Roam Around had built
Layla's social reach and booking partnerships complemented Roam Around's strengths
Layla had already started integrating Roam Around's itinerary data into its bot
What can be applied
Layla chose to buy a fast-growing rival's traffic and itinerary data rather than build it, in a field where large travel brands were also launching GPT plugins.
Aftermath
As of 2024-02-12 integration had begun and the Roam Around brand was due to be phased out. The deal value was not disclosed.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE