Travel start up snags Shark Tank investor
Travel start-up company, Travelshoot, has come a long way from the brains of Sarah Pearce back in 2012, after securing Queensland-based investors to grow their idea.
Shark Tank star and investor Steve Baxter has teamed up with QUT Creative Enterprise Australia (CEA) to invest half a million dollars to scale the business.
Travelshoot started when Pearce and her hubby visited New Zealand and spent some time with a photographer friend. The start-up centres on connecting qualified, local photographers with travellers to capture priceless moments while abroad.
Pearce won The ‘My Shark Tank Australia’ competition in 2015, and along with co-founder and brother Tim Jones, has built the app to help couples and families obtain high quality photos of their holiday or travel experience without stripping the holiday budget.
Travel partners working with Travelshoot include Flight Centre, Helloworld, Escape Travel, infinity, Travel Associates, Student Flights, and RACQ, with the network of destinations tripling in the last year.
“The morning after the TV episode went live, we woke up to an inbox full of excited customer enquiries – and it’s been an exciting whirlwind since then. Since our launch the aim has remained the same – create a unique experience for travellers and help them capture holiday memories in an extraordinary way,” Pearce said.
“We have a favourable view of the tourism space being one of Australia’s largest export markets and continues to grow,” said Baxter.
“It is enviable to see two founders who have built the business to this point through their own personal funding, showing their adaptability and hustle to make things work even on tight budgets.”
CEA’s CEO Anna Rooke said it was a compelling investment opportunity that spoke to the travel market in a unique way.
“For CEA, we felt that Travelshoot had all the essentials on why we invest; a compelling value proposition, a clearly defined global customer market, strong evidence of customer traction, a clear execution plan and, above all else co-founders who have the flexibility and resilience to navigate the business to scale,” said Rooke.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
sarah pearce shark tank steve baxter travelshootLatest News
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