Despegar operates one of Latin America’s largest online travel ecosystems, enabling users to book flights, hotels, car rentals, vacation packages, and on-app travel experiences. Built around a deep inventory network and advanced pricing engines, the platform supports localized payment options suited for diverse LATAM markets.
The company focuses on personalized itineraries, bundled travel products, financing options and mobile-first functionality, making travel planning simpler and more accessible. Despegar has also expanded into travel-adjacent services including insurance, loyalty programs and real-time availability integrations with global travel suppliers.
What Is Despegar and What Does It Do?
Despegar, founded in 1999 by Roberto Souviron, Mariano Fiori, Alejandro Tamer, Christian Vilate and Martin Rastellino, is a Miami-based (United States) online travel company serving consumers across Latin America. Its platform allows travelers to book flights, hotels, car rentals and packages using dynamic search, flexible filters and localized payments.
Despegar employs 4,543 people, offering a multi-vertical digital travel marketplace built for convenience, price transparency and real-time availability.
The company emphasizes mobile-first booking, customizable itineraries, regional supply relationships, and a unified experience across its website and mobile app.
How Much Funding Has Despegar Raised?
1. Post-IPO
- Amount Raised: $200M
- Date: August 20, 2020
- Lead Investors: Waha Capital, L Catterton
- Motivation: Liquidity, resilience and product continuity.
2. Series C
- Amount Raised: $270M
- Date: March 10, 2015
- Lead Investors: Expedia
- Motivation: Strengthen inventory, partnerships, and technical integrations.
Total Funding Raised: $331 Million
Current Valuation: Acquired company
Latest Funding Date: August 2020
Key Investors
1. General Atlantic
- Details: Global investor in high-growth consumer and technology companies.
- Investment Focus Areas: Marketplaces, travel, fintech, SaaS.
- Notable Investments: Airbnb, Klarna, Duolingo, Slack, ByteDance.
2. Sequoia Capital
- Details: Iconic VC backing category-defining technology companies.
- Investment Focus Areas: Software, consumer internet, marketplace platforms.
- Notable Investments: Apple, Google, WhatsApp, Airbnb, Stripe.
3. Expedia Group (Strategic)
- Details: Global travel giant providing travel inventory and digital booking solutions.
- Investment Focus Areas: Travel technology and distribution.
- Notable Investments / Assets: Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, VRBO, Hotels.com.
Where Is Despegar’s Headquarters?
Despegar is headquartered in Miami, United States, providing proximity to LATAM travel markets and multilingual talent.
What’s Next for Despegar?
Upcoming priorities include strengthening regional partnerships, improving personalization, expanding ancillary products, enhancing mobile app experience, and integrating AI-powered search and travel recommendation tools.
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