Smoove Xperience

According to a February 2022 survey by tourism market research firm Destination Analysts, nearly 82% of Americans are in a “ready to travel” mindset.

After taking a dip the past two years due to the pandemic, the travel industry is poised for a rebound. Travel and tourism is projected to bring in more than $637 billion in the U.S. this year.

Smoove Xperience (SmooveX) is targeting this market with its Artificial Intelligence-powered travel app.

More than 137 million Americans use travel apps for vacations and business travel.

The trouble is, most apps don’t encompass the full travel experience. You need one app to book a flight/hotel, and another to find local activities. You need another to plan your trip, and another to post pictures/videos from the journey.

To complete their vacation, the average traveler uses 8 to 10 different apps. Now they can just use SmooveX.

This platform provides everything a traveler needs, from travel guides and itinerary planning, to in-trip tools, local deals, and more.

The key to SmooveX is its ability to capture the five essential stages, or “moments,” of a traveler’s journey. These moments are dreaming moments, planning moments, shopping moments, experiencing moments, and sharing moments. Here’s each of them in more detail:

Dreaming Moments: Most people dream about a vacation. But when the time comes to put together a trip, many are lost. SmooveX offers curated travel guides and recommendations from other travelers. Users can browse through photos, videos, and travel content to find the destination that’s right for them.

Planning Moments: Once a spot is picked, next comes figuring out when to travel, how long to stay, and how to get there. SmooveX offers recommended itineraries for trips to that particular destination and a “smart” itinerary planner.

Shopping Moments: Travelers can use SmooveX to book and pay for their trip. This includes flights, accommodations, attraction tickets, tours, and activities. They can even purchase travel insurance and select a traveling Wi-Fi plan.

Experiencing Moments: SmooveX’s itinerary planner keeps track of the trip with schedules and tickets. It also offers local recommendations and deals in case travelers need an idea.

Sharing Moments: Finally, once the trip is over, SmooveX enables travelers to share photos and videos with friends and loved ones through their favorite social media accounts.

SmooveX has an in-house team producing quality travel guides and content. It also works with travel bloggers and social media influencers to provide user-generated content.

To generate revenue, SmooveX receives a commission for every flight, experience, and accommodation booked through its platform. Down the road, the company aims to offer advertising space to travel brands.

As of May 2021, SmooveX is operational and generating revenue in Singapore. This year, it plans to expand to Hong Kong, Australia, and New Zealand. The goal is to establish itself as a popular travel app before launching in the U.S.

In October 2021, SmooveX was selected for the Newchip Accelerator program. And in January 2022, it was selected for the 500 Startups Global Launch San Francisco Track startup program.

Team Background

Cathy Holler - Advisor

Cathy is a travel expert, having spent more than 30 years in the global tourism industry.

She began her career as Director of Sales with the Great Canadian Railtour Company, a tourism business offering trips between Vancouver and the Canadian Rockies. From there, she was Vice President of Marketing with SNV International, one of Canada’s largest tour operators.

She then spent five years with Virtuoso, a travel agency, serving as Vice President of Member Sales. She then held a similar role with Travoca, a travel agency focused on luxury trips.

More recently, Cathy was Vice President of Business Development with Tully Luxury Travel, an award-winning travel agency. In addition to her advisory role, she is President of Blue Ice Communications, a tourism company, and President & CEO of Momenti Travel, her own travel-related business.

She studied Communications at Miami University of Ohio.

Greg Duffell - Co-Founder & CEO

Greg has more than 35 years of experience in the travel industry.

He began his career with Budget Rent-a-Car, serving as Regional Director of the company’s Asia-Pacific region. After that, he worked with the Thomas Cook Group, a worldwide travel network of more than 1,000 agents across 70 countries.

From there, he was co-founder of Migo Software, a technology startup where he worked with Jay Elliot, an early senior manager at Apple who worked closely with Steve Jobs. After that, he became CEO of Indochina Services Travel Group, and later CEO of the Pacific Asia Travel Association.

More recently, Greg was a strategy and business development manager with Emirates Airline Group. He then founded TripXtra, an ancillary messaging service for travelers.

He earned an MBA from Henley Business School.

Matthew Chan - Chief Operating Officer

Matthew has spent more than 25 years in the e-commerce travel, payments, and tech industries.

Prior to SmooveX, he held leadership roles with financial companies American Express, Standard Chartered Bank, and United Overseas Bank.

Michael Tan - Co-Founder & Product Head

Michael is a seasoned entrepreneur with experience in the Asia/Pacific region.

He is the former President of Phicomm Asia Pacific, a communications business, and held senior roles with Hupomone Capital Partners, a private equity company, and Adecco Group, a Human Resources recruiting firm.

In addition to his role with SmooveX, he is a mentor with startup accelerator 500 Startups. He holds a post-graduate degree in Business Management from Edinburgh Business School.

Co-Investors