Travel startup Layla — backed by firstminute capital, M13, Booking.com co-founder Andy Phillips, Skyscanner co-founder Barry Smith, and Paris Hilton — said today that it has acquired AI-powered itinerary building bot Roam Around.
Roam Around was founded last year by Shie Gabbai, a former Google employee who worked on Waze. The company raised $1 million from investors like FLYR.com and Jason Calacanis. As part of the deal, Roam Around’s team of five is joining Layla. To date, Roam Around has built up 10 million itineraries with half a million people visiting its site every month.
Layla launched in public last year with its AI-powered bot that helps users plan their trips by fetching knowledge from different sources like Booking.com and Skyscanner. Jeremy Jauncey, the founder of the travel agency Beautiful Destinations, is a co-founder at the startup. That’s why Layla takes advantage of a vast library of content from travel creators to show users unique…
