Holdbar raises $3.5M seed

Holdbar, a startup based in Aarhus, has raised $3.5 million in seed funding from investors including Steve Fredette, co-founder of Toast, Inc., and firstminute capital, founded by Brent Hoberman. The company offers a comprehensive software solution designed specifically for experience providers, incorporating features like booking systems, payment processing, team management, and marketing tools. With this financial backing, Holdbar plans to further enhance its platform, aiming to become the leading choice for experience businesses worldwide. Their goal is to empower small businesses in the industry to operate independently from major online travel agencies, allowing them to connect directly with customers across various platforms while maintaining control of their data and software infrastructure to leverage future AI advancements.

Holdbar, an experience management software founded one year ago, is designed to assist tour hosts in managing their businesses and selling experiences. Offering a comprehensive suite of tools, Holdbar streamlines tasks such as online sales for both individuals and groups, booking management, payment processing, gift card handling, guest communication, and marketing efforts. The platform aims to simplify administrative processes, making them more efficient and user-friendly. Holdbar’s goal is to provide tour hosts with the necessary resources to focus on delivering exceptional experiences to their guests. Trusted by various businesses within the industry, Holdbar serves guided tour companies, breweries, distilleries, food markets, and wine stores, among others. Whether exploring the platform through a free trial or seeking personalized assistance, Holdbar is committed to supporting tour hosts in their endeavors.

Despite reports estimating the experience industry has a total addressable market of up to $1.4T, many experience providers still aren’t digitalized. In 2023, Skift Megatrends argued that the tour operator sector is “the most behind technologically of any in the industry”.

Danish startup Holdbar is trying to change this, creating a complete software suite for experience providers, gathering all you need to create, promote, and sell experiences, e.g. a booking engine, payment solution, team planning, gift card solution, and demand generation.

“Experiences are the fastest-growing sector within the tourist and travel industry. Especially the younger generation are likely to prioritize experiences over things and by developing a platform that helps experience providers improve their commercial output, they can create a healthier business,” says co-founder and CEO Lasse Kjær, who in 2023 exited leading nordic experience marketplace Truestory to Smartbox Group after having co-founded the company in 2012. “We’re incredibly excited to work with such an experienced team. Toast is one of the companies we deeply admire because they have achieved within restaurants, what we aim to achieve within experiences. Together, we will continue to develop and scale our platform for experience providers to streamline and grow their business.”

With a rapidly growing demand for experiences, both existing and new, developing sub-verticals within the experience eco-system need the right tooling and infrastructure to succeed and thrive.

Examples of developments within the industry are artificial intelligence and experience creators coming out of the influencer industry creating events for their followers to authentically engage with their audience and develop new revenue streams.

“Just like Shopify did for e-commerce brands over the last decade, Holdbar is providing the infrastructure to enable small businesses in the domestic tourism and experiences sector to run their businesses independently from the major OTAs. Holdbar’s tooling allows these SMEs to engage directly with their customers on whichever platforms they choose (websites, social media, messaging channels) and provide an end-to-end high-quality digital experience that reflects their brand. Over the next decade, businesses need to own their data and run their own software stack if they are going to be able to gain from AI efficiencies. We believe Holdbar can help small businesses in travel make this transition,” Brent Hoberman, co-founder and managing partner of firstminute capital, says.

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