TravelPerk, KYND and BondCliQ Bag Funding

This batch features a business travel platform, a provider of cyber risk management solutions for the insurance industry, and a creator and operator of a consolidated quote system for the corporate bond market.

It’s a mix of business travel, insurance and the bond market with TravelPerk, KYND and BondCliQ receiving tech funding.

Business travel platform TravelPerk has secured $115 million (£84.3 million) to make it a unicorn and give it a valuation of $1.3 billion (£953 million).

London-based KYND, a provider of cyber risk management solutions for the insurance industry, has announced a £3.25 million investment from BGF.

BondCliQ, a creator and operator of a consolidated quote system for the corporate bond market, has closed its undisclosed Series A funding, led by London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) and buy-side and fintech participants Aflac Ventures and SEI.

TravelPerk Perks Up

TravelPerk is based in Barcelona with offices in London and Berlin. The firm allows users to track expenses and reports from dashboards, receive one invoice or expense report, get actionable insights based on travel data, and enforce travel policies.

The latest funding follows on from April 2021, when it raised $160 million (£117.3 million) in its Series D funding round.

This investment round was co-led by General Catalyst and by its existing investor Kinnevik. Gillian Tans and Joel Cutler are investing in this round and joining TravelPerk’s board. Tans was until very recently the chairwoman and CEO of Booking.com, and Cutler is the “OG of travel investing”, having invested early in Airbnb, Kayak and ITA Software.

Tans comments: “Hybrid and remote working is undoubtedly here to stay, but a Zoom call will never be able to replicate the benefits of in-person, face-to-face interaction. We have no doubt that business travel will continue to grow and thrive in the years ahead, with TravelPerk as the clear leader in the space.”

TravelPerk has been busy and wants to keep it that way. It acquired four companies (like Susterra), wants more action with SMEs, has plans in the US and Europe, and is investing “heavily” in green travel tech by building on its existing product.

According to Avi Meir, TravelPerk Co-Founder and CEO, its open marketplace grew 5x in 2021, and it entered into partnerships with companies like Divvy, Emburse and Rydoo.

KYND Words

KYND will use the investment for global expansion plans and to launch new products.

The company says it has achieved a 1,000% growth on annual recurring revenue since June 2020 and developed partnerships with insurers and brokers, such as Beazley, Howden, Paragon and Alliant.

Founded in 2018 by Andy Thomas and Melanie Hayes, KYND has developed a cyber risk technology platform that gathers and processes data to assess cyber risk for companies.

Thomas explains: “Our industry-first API-based platform, which provides meaningful risk insights, is making the cyber-insurance market more efficient and well-equipped to deal with the deluge of attacks facing small and mid-market companies.”

Things Click for BondCliQ 

BondCliQ is a New York-based company but with ambitions – helped by LSEG – to get action in Europe and beyond.

Along with the funding, investment management firm Vanguard has become a partner with BondCliQ for its corporate bond market structure plans.

BondCliQ CEO Chris White says: “We are excited to partner with a global, visionary leader like LSEG, which understands the value of pricing data and the importance of a consolidated quote architecture for the trading of corporate bonds. As BondCliQ continues to develop and operate this important structure for the corporate bond industry, we look forward to working with LSEG in the US, Europe and beyond.”

Funds from the investment will be used for general corporate purposes, recruitment and the aforementioned expansion.

Alongside the investment, LSEG and BondCliQ have signed heads of terms to collaborate on new product opportunities, including making BondCliQ proprietary data available through LSEG for pre-trade pricing for corporate bonds.

Antony Peyton
Antony Peyton
Antony Peyton is the Editor of eWeek UK. He has 18 years' journalism and writing experience. His career has taken him to China, Japan and the UK - covering tech, fintech and business. Follow on Twitter @TonyFintech.
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