Travel technology start-up Taptrip has won the fourth Business Travel Disrupt Award at the 25th annual Business Travel Show in London.
Taptrip is a self-service business travel and expenses solution designed for SMEs that is free to use. The company was named as “One to Watch” in the 2019 BBT Hotlist for its potential to disrupt the way SMEs manage their travel programmes.
Taptip is headed up by travel industry insiders Neil Ruth, formerly of Skyscanner and IHG, and Tom Young, formerly of Booking.com. Ruth and Young have led the app from infancy in 2018 to establishing strategic partnerships with Skyscanner, Booking.com, Goeuro, Uber and others to derive its content.
Commenting on Taptrip’s win, Ruth said: “We won! And we are incredibly flattered, delighted and truly honoured to have won the award, against such an esteemed set of other start-ups disrupting this space. These awards are such a great platform to showcase innovation and what makes them both special and important. We have followed the growth and success of TroopTravel on the back of last year’s win. We are excited to follow in their footsteps and maximise the array of opportunities that holding this award will bring.”
Taptrip has won a free stand on the main show floor at Business Travel Show 2020, as well as a marketing and PR campaign worth up to £10,000.
The finalists – five of the 12 start-ups in this year’s Business Travel Show Disrupt Launchpad – were chosen through an open, online vote last month. The other four companies include CultureMee, Railguard, Raketa and SalesTrip.
The awards were judged by a panel of industry journalists, including BBT digital editor Molly Dyson, Business Travel Magazine editor Andy Hoskins and Amanda Greenwood, community and content manager at Business Travel IQ, as well as freelance travel journalist and head judge Nick Easen and TroopTravel co-founder Leonard Cremer.
Cremer commented: “It’s been an amazing year for us since winning the Disrupt Award in 2018. We have enjoyed an incredible level of endorsement and media coverage.”
Easen added: “It was quite a line-up this year. Disruption is exceedingly difficult in an industry that has an incredibly integrated ecosystem of players, yet there is a growing number who are trying to disrupt and innovate in the business travel space. The passion for change was evident this year. The winner Taptrip targeting the SME market, a wholly under-served section of the market, is a shining example of a business that is trying to make a real difference.”
You can visit Taptrip and the 11 other start-ups at the Business Travel Show at the Disrupt Launchpad.