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20VC: TravelPerk’s Avi Meir on Why 2021 Will Be A Record Year For Business Travel, The 3 Priorities For All Founders During COVID, What VCs Can Do To Really Support Their Founders In A Recession

May 29, 2020

Avi Meir, Founder and CEO of TravelPerk, dives into the future of business travel post-pandemic. He believes 2021 will surpass 2019 in travel volume, thanks to a faster-than-expected recovery. Meir discusses how leaders can navigate COVID's impact, emphasizing cash preservation and strategic spending for founders. He also foresees a shift towards domestic travel and flexible options, predicting a rise in rail travel for shorter journeys. With insights on supporting startups through crisis, his perspective on the industry's evolution is both refreshing and hopeful.

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ANECDOTE

Avi's Accidental Startup Journey

Avi Meir accidentally entered the startup world, driven by a passion for understanding systems.
His journey led him to co-found Hotel Ninjas, later acquired by Booking.com, before starting TravelPerk.

INSIGHT

Lockdown Considerations

Avi Meir advocates for a balanced approach to lockdowns, considering the economic and societal impact.
He emphasizes the importance of considering those unable to work remotely and the long-term consequences of unemployment.

ADVICE

Swedish Approach

Protect vulnerable populations while allowing others to return to work, following safety guidelines.
Encourage personal responsibility and risk assessment instead of strict government mandates.

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Avi Meir is the Founder & CEO @ TravelPerk, the travel management platform that combines the best of leisure and corporate travel into one smooth experience. To date, Avi has raised over $134m with TravelPerk from the likes of DST, Spark Capital, Felix Capital and Heartcore to name a few. Prior to founding TravelPerk, Avi co-founded HotelNinjas, a hotel management product that was acquired by Booking.com. Before that Avi was VP Product at budgetplaces where he managed a team of 50 across product and marketing.

In Today’s Episode You Will Learn:

1.) How Avi made his way into the world of startups and came to change the way we think of corporate travel with TravelPerk?

2.) Why has Avi advocated for the re-opening of society much sooner than others have done? If Avi were in government, what would he advocate for and do? How does Avi try and effectively assess the core risks of COVID both from a societal and economic perspective?

3.) How does Avi feel when he hears the comparison of COVID to Saars or 9/11 when it comes to their impact on travel? Why is this so different? Why does Avi believe 2021 will be a bigger year for business travel than 2019?

4.) How does Avi advise founders heavily impacted by COVID to really effectively analyse their spend and optimise runway? How does Avi think approach the element that sales and marketing is now non-revenue driving? How does Avi approach resource allocation as a result?

5.) Does Avi believe we will see a fundamental re-shaping of corporate travel? What will change? How does domestic travel change? What will the landscape look like on the other side? Who will survive? Who will thrive? Does Avi feel now is an opportune time for M&A?

Items Mentioned In Today’s Show:

Avi’s Fave Book: The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared

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