Otto, a new AI-driven travel platform founded by Michael Gulmann, is poised to simplify travel management for small businesses and startups. Launching an alpha version in September, Otto aims to streamline flight and hotel bookings through natural language queries, addressing the challenges faced by companies lacking dedicated travel desks.
The startup, emerging from stealth mode, has secured $6 million in seed funding led by Madrona Ventures, with additional support from Direct Travel. The round also saw contributions from angel investors with backgrounds from major companies like Expedia, Ortbiz, Uber, and Farecast. This funding will be used to advance product development and expand the engineering team, providing Otto with a runway of approximately two years.
Otto’s innovative approach is set to differentiate it from existing platforms such as TravelPerk and Concur, which primarily target large enterprises. The service is designed to offer a high-end travel experience by retaining user preferences, such as preferred hotels and flight choices, and even specific needs like proximity to meeting locations. This eliminates the need for users to repeatedly input their preferences or switch between multiple travel and mapping services.
By leveraging AI to automate and personalize the travel booking process, Otto seeks to provide a more efficient and user-friendly solution for executives and founders who typically navigate travel arrangements manually or through cumbersome applications. The platform’s emphasis on natural language processing aims to make travel planning as seamless as possible.
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