Swiss Travel Startup GetYourGuide Raises $484 Million Growth Financing

What started as an idea, has materialized into the leading booking platform for incredible travel experiences worldwide. GetYourGuide now employs more than 500 people, has offices in 16 countries with the headquarter still in Zurich. Over the years, travelers from more than 170 countries have booked more than 25 million tours, activities and attraction tickets.


With the latest financing round of $ 484 million, the company officially enters the privileged club of startup unicorns, companies valued at more than 1 billion. The funding is being led by Softbank, Temasek and Lakestar. GetYourGuide has no raised more than 600 million.

But would the company exist today without the initial support of Venturelab? Johannes explicitly mentioned in a previous interview that the venture challenge course was fundamental to meeting his co-founders and realizing the potential of their idea. Something that could disrupt the fragmented and high-margin market for booking travel activities.

Venturelab’s support didn’t stop there, we were the first to take Johannes to the U.S.in 2010 with the Venture Leaders program: a unique investor roadshow, where he could sharpen GetYourGuide’s business case and connect with relevant industry leaders, reaching one of their more important strategic milestones: the partnership with travel review giant TripAdvisor.

“Boston was a golden opportunity for our company. In just a few weeks, I got to know the biggest minds in the online travel market and forged very valuable strategic alliances. Our cooperation with TripAdvisor, for example, was a product of this trip.” Read GetYourGuide im Glücksrausch.

Thanks to international recognition and market traction, GetYourGuide ranked three times at the TOP 100 Swiss Startup Award, reaching its highest ranking, 3rd position, in 2012.

Today, announcing a 484 million financing round, we can proudly say that Venturelab contributed to shape GetYourGuide into one of the most-disruptive companies worldwide and to add another unicorn to our portfolio after MINDMAZE.