You're Invited!

Agenda

8:00 – 9:00 AM
Check-in & Networking Breakfast

9:00 – 9:05 AM
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Laura Chadwick, President & CEO of the Travel Technology Association, will offer welcoming remarks.

Startup Investment & Funding

9:15 – 9:35 AM
Advocating for Public Policies to Support Travel Tech Innovation and Access to Capital
Brandon Palumbo, Travel Tech’s Director of Policy & Government Relations and Wright Rickets, Legislative Director at the U.S. House of Representatives, discuss efforts in Congress to support start-ups.

Speaker: Wright Ricketts, Legislative Director, U.S. House of Representatives

9:40 – 10:00 AM
Seeking SBA Funding
Learn from Matthew Stevens, Deputy Associate Administrator, Office of Investment and Innovation, U.S. Small Business Administration, about the many resources, programs, and support the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) offers to start-ups.

Speaker: Matthew Stevens, Deputy Associate Administrator, Office of Investment and Innovation, U.S. Small Business Administration

10:00 – 10:15 AM
Networking Break
Meet other travel tech start-ups, investors, Travel Tech board member company representatives, and others.

Supporting Travel Technology Start-Ups

10:15 – 10:35 AM
Maximizing Angel and Preparing for Venture Investments for Travel Tech Startups
Learn the most successful strategies to raise a pre-seed or seed-stage round.

Speakers: Matt Zito, Managing Partner, TSi, and Cara Whitehill, Vice President, Thayer Investment Partners
Moderator: Bethany Reitsma, Travel Tech

10:40 – 11:00 AM
Navigating Travel Tech Incumbent Players & Partnerships
Learn effective approaches for engaging with established travel tech companies, overcoming challenges, and driving innovation together.

Speaker: Tomasz Pawliszyn, CEO, AirHelp

11:00 – 11:55 AM     
5-Minute Lightning Pitches
A select group of start-ups will present a five-minute version of their pitches. Investors from angel groups based in Washington, D.C. have been invited to attend this session and stay for lunch to meet with start-ups in attendance.

• BLCK
• InterLnkd
• Legaroo
• NaviSavi
• Runway Health, Inc.
• Sevenly Travel
• Solutionz Group LLC
• SparrowBid
• Tern
• Walkntours

11:55 AM – 12:00 PM
Closing Remarks

12:00 PM
Boxed Lunch and Networking

1:00 – 2:00 PM
Private U.S. Capitol Hill Tour for Start-Up Summit attendees only

2:00 – 4:00 PM
Exhibitor Set-Up for Policy & Innovation Showcase in the Cannon Caucus Room

4:00 – 5:00 PM
Media availability in the Cannon Caucus Room organized by Travel Tech’s media consultant

5:00 – 7:00 PM
Policy & Innovation Showcase, Cannon House Office Building at the U.S. Capitol
Showcase your travel startup company to some of the largest travel companies in the world, members of Congress, their staff, and media. 200 people attended last year.
Each start-up will be provided with a high-top table to present marketing information at the Showcase. You will also be provided information on how to invite your member of Congress to visit your table. Travel Tech board member companies, like Booking, Tripadvisor, Chase Travel, Travelport and others, will also have tables at the Showcase, along with company executives in attendance, offering an opportunity for you to network with them.

Interested in attending as a start-up? Fill out this form: