Tern Thirty Seconds – 5 July, 2025
🕒 Fast takes on startups and scale-ups transforming (or flopping in) Travel & Technology Welcome to Tern Thirty Seconds — a snappy roundup of four stories at the cutting edge (or cutting room floor) of Travel & Tech. Each edition: 3 promising startups / scale-ups 1 cautionary tale from the travel tech graveyard Because in this space? Timing is everything. Today’s Four Emerging Startup: TripTax Madrid-based TripTax is taking on the dreaded VAT refund mess. Their mobile app promises instant refunds straight to your e-wallet — no airport paperwork, no waiting in line. Just bag your rebate before you fly. €3M seed round raised to expand across Europe. (Source: EU-Startups — link ) Scale-up Milestone: Hopper bets on Asia Hopper, the AI-powered price predictor, launched in Singapore — its first big leap beyond the Americas. Can its airfare models handle Asia’s price swings? We’re watching. Backed by $600M+ in funding so far. (Source: TechCrunch — link ) Tech Pivot / Breakthrough: ...