When it comes to planning the perfect trip, having a travel agent can serve as a huge help. Agents often have experience traveling to various locations and have the ability to save travelers money by keeping up with promotional deals, making them a one-stop shop. NYC-based Fora is working to grow the number of travel agents users have access to with its tech-fueled platform.
Fora, a modern travel agency that helps users receive training to become agents, recently raked in $13.5 million in a Series A funding round co-led by Heartcore Capital and Forerunner.
“Both Heartcore and Forerunner were already investors in Fora and demonstrated unique industry knowledge at the intersection of travel and the consumer landscape,” Fora co-founder Evan Frank told Built In via email. “They are VCs that understand how the travel industry works which means they’re able to provide immediate insight into the strategic direction of the business.”
Having launched just one year ago, Fora has over 500 global travel agents on its platform alongside a waitlist of 30,000 users, according to a company statement. Fora also boasts its ability to help consumers become entrepreneurs. On the platform, interested users can become trained travel agents who work remotely and find clients on the platform.
With its new funds, the travel agency education startup is eyeing expansion and plans to build out its client and booking management system for travel agents. Additional funds will go toward furthering its marketing and business development and building training programs for its travel agents. Fora will also be expanding its hotel database and hiring for its engineering and marketing teams.
“We want to take our ‘business in a box’ to enable anyone to sell travel just like the pros to more and more people,” Frank said. “We have a waitlist of 30,000 advisors and need to double down on the operational and technical infrastructure to support thousands of new-style travel agents.”
While travelers can not use Fora to book travel themselves, they can use the platform to explore the locations Fora travel agents serve and find the right agent for them and their planning needs.
