Tuesday, August 18, 2026 — Alexandria, Va. — Innovative travel technology start-ups have until Tuesday, September 1, to apply for the chance to pitch live at Travel Tech Association’s (Travel Tech) second annual Start-Up Summit on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, at Concorde in National Landing, Arlington, Virginia. The founder-focused event will bring together start-ups, investors, industry leaders, and potential partners for a full day of networking, education, collaboration, and pitch opportunities. Finalists will compete for $10,000 while gaining feedback, connections, and visibility designed to help move their companies forward.
Pitch to Judges Who Know What It Takes to Grow
Steve Reynolds, CEO of CorpTravelTech, is the founder and former CEO of TRIPBAM, a corporate travel optimization platform acquired by Emburse in 2023 after helping customers manage more than $30 billion in travel spend. He previously led TRX, which went public, and CTI, which was acquired by American Express. Today, Reynolds works with travel technology companies as an investor, advisor, and mentor, helping founders navigate growth, product strategy, and scale. He was recently inducted into the Business Travel Hall of Fame in recognition of his lasting industry impact.
Jennifer Wilson-Buttigieg, Head of Travel Policy at Chase Travel, is a 35-plus-year travel industry veteran and a widely recognized expert and advocate. She helps Chase Travel understand and respond to regulatory and legislative issues affecting the business and the broader industry, and she represents the company through Travel Tech and other leading travel trade organizations. Wilson-Buttigieg was appointed to the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board in 2025, named among WINiT by GBTA’s Top 50 Women in Travel in 2021, and recognized by TravelPulse among its 2026 Influential Women in Travel.
Compete for $10,000—and Support That Extends Beyond the Stage
If your company is building technology, platforms, tools, services, or infrastructure for the travel ecosystem, this is an opportunity to put your solution—and your growth story—in front of people who can offer relevant perspective and open doors. The competition welcomes solutions across travel planning, booking, operations, payments, hospitality, mobility, artificial intelligence, sustainability, data, customer experience, distribution, business travel, and other areas shaping the future of travel. Selected finalists should be ready to share their business, traction, market opportunity, and growth priorities with investors and industry leaders—and participate in person at the Start-Up Summit on Wednesday, October 14, 2026.
Every finalist will receive a live pitch opportunity, judge Q&A and meaningful feedback from investors and industry experts, visibility with founders, corporate partners, Travel Tech members, and industry leaders, and opportunities to build relationships with potential funders, partners, customers, and advisors. Finalists will also be featured through Travel Tech communications, event materials, and post-event coverage.
The winner will receive:
- A $10,000 cash prize to support the company’s continued growth.
- Featured visibility through Travel Tech communications, founder-focused channels, event materials, and post-event coverage.
- Facilitated introductions to relevant investors, industry leaders, potential partners, and customers.
- A founder spotlight and continued engagement opportunities through future Travel Tech programming and investor-facing initiatives.
Finalists will also be invited to a dedicated group preparation session during Travel Tech’s September Start-Up Meet-Up. They will preview portions of their decks, practice their openings and closings, and receive constructive feedback from peers and Travel Tech Innovation Advisory Council Member Kerri Zeil, Startup Advisor & Global Director of GAIN Growth Hub (Growth Advisors International Network). The session will also explain what judges will be looking for and how pitches will be scored, giving finalists clear, actionable guidance before they take the stage.
Important Pitch Competition Dates
- Application opened: Wednesday, July 29, 2026
- Application deadline: Tuesday, September 1, 2026
- Finalists notified: Monday, September 14, 2026
- Final pitch materials due: Thursday, October 1, 2026
- Live pitch competition: Wednesday, October 14, 2026
With the deadline just two weeks away, now is the time to put your company forward. Pitch finalist selection is competitive and separate from event registration, showcase participation, or membership status. Apply to pitch by Tuesday, September 1. For sponsorship or investor participation opportunities, email Bethany Reitsma.
###
Travel Tech Association (Travel Tech) is the unified voice for the travel technology ecosystem. Travel Tech brings together enterprise leaders, growth-stage companies, and emerging innovators to advance public policies that support competition, innovation, and a strong technology-enabled travel marketplace. Through advocacy, regulatory intelligence, and cross-sector collaboration, Travel Tech helps shape the future of modern travel.
To schedule an interview with a Travel Tech spokesperson, contact Jessica Matthias: jmatthias@belverapartners.com.
