Hot 25 Travel Startups for 2023: Fora

Fora

Headquarters: New York

Co-CEOs: Henley Vazquez and Evan Frank

Website: Fora

Founding date: 2021

Investment: $18.5 million

Fora is a new kind of travel agency, with a modern, tech-forward and inclusive approach. Built for the next generation of side hustlers and entrepreneurs, Fora empowers anyone with a passion for travel to earn flexible income booking trips – with expert training and marketing tools, an intuitive technology platform and global community hub. By overhauling industry pain points and removing barriers to entry, we’re redefining and revitalizing the travel agent industry – one awesome trip at a time.

PhocusWire coverage:

• Travel startup Fora wants to reinvent the travel agent
  

  Co-founders: Evan Frank, Henley Vazquez and Jake Peters

Strategic goals for 2023

Henley: Currently, we have more than 600 advisors and 35,000 and counting on our waitlist. Looking ahead to 2023, we’re focused on welcoming hundreds (and thousands!) of new advisors and training them at scale. We recently launched our new, community-first training program, Fora cohorts, in which new advisors develop as a group with a robust support network. We’ll continue to expand our world-class curriculum and professional development to arm our advisors with everything they need to succeed.

Jake: Travel agents were left behind in the online booking revolution. We’re putting the power – and technology – back into the hands of humans, to compete with the likes of travel-backed credit cards and OTAs like Booking.com. In 2023, we’re continuing to build technology to make our advisors’ job as seamless as possible. Advisors can say goodbye to the egregious and manual processes and say hello to refined technology and education options, including booking tools, client management tools, payments and supplier information. 

Evan: Travel is undergoing one of the fastest growth periods in history. Coupled with a booming, creator-first and community-driven economy, Fora is uniquely positioned to empower a new generation of entrepreneurs from all walks of life. And our inclusive model demonstrates that travel can be for anyone and by anyone. Looking ahead to 2023, we will be doubling down on our consumer education, and debunking many of the misconceptions associated with the advisor industry. Our work will demonstrate the value and importance of working with a travel advisor – so everyone knows it’s the best way to travel (better than OTAs, Amex and beyond). 

Lessons learned since founding

We’re firm believers that being a travel advisor is the best job there is. But, before Fora, the career prospect was out of reach for many. One of the most meaningful learnings thus far was the sheer interest from people who were new to or unfamiliar with the industry. Ninety-seven percent of Fora Advisors had never sold travel before – and now they’re pros. With Fora as the linchpin, we’re joining together to shake up the industry.

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