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§ Private Profile · London, United Kingdom
Revolutionising the way travellers discover, plan and book a trip
At Tab, we’re revolutionising the way travellers discover, plan and book a trip.
The Guide lets travellers find and book anywhere : with helpful recommendations from friends & local experts, rather than bland listings with endless reviews. Planning your trip should be a joy, not a chore! We help people to travel responsibly, by booking direct instead of using traditional booking sites. Travellers get the best price and they help local businesses avoid unnecessary fees.
Travel experts, content creators and the friends you always ask for recommendations can use The Guide to showcase their favourite places to stay and things to do. When you book one of their recommendations, you’ll get a discount from the business and they receive bonus credit to say thanks.
The Tab platform gives independent tourism businesses the tools to improve their online presence, be discovered, take direct bookings : and also to take payments. Our payment platform is uniquely designed for tourism businesses, handling over 100 currencies natively, and every payment type securely and easily.
As travel returns after a difficult period, it’s time for a fresh approach. That’s why we’re building a social commerce platform for tourism : helping to spread the benefits of tourism far and wide, and helping travellers make the most of their precious time abroad.
We're headquartered in London, and backed by Y Combinator (the investors behind Airbnb, Dropbox and Stripe).
Tab has raised $2.4M across 3 funding rounds.
Key people at Tab.
Tab was founded in 2015 by Mark Datta (Founder/CEO).
Tab has raised $2.4M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Tab has raised $2.4M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $230K Seed in March 2024.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1, 2024 | $230K Seed | — | Icebreaker.vc, Index Ventures, Solana Ventures, Soma Capital, Charlie Songhurst, Chris Eyre, Cory Levy, Guillermo Rauch, Kaarel Kotkas, Kristjan Vilosius, Markus Villig, Martin Sokk, Triin Hertmann | Announced |
| Jan 1, 2024 | $2M Seed | — | Andreessen Horowitz, AngelList, Buckley Ventures, ALI Tamaseb, Divergence Ventures, FirstHand Alliance, Founder Collective, Future Ventures, Gradient Ventures, Greylock, Helium 3 Ventures, Liquid 2 Ventures, Pareto Holdings, Quiet Capital, Rivet Ventures, Scale Asia Ventures, Solana Ventures, Unruly Capital, UpHonest Capital, Y Combinator, Ylem, Arash Ferdowsi, Aston Motes, Augusto Marietti, Dylan Field, Howie LIU, Immad Akhund, Jack Smith, Matt Bellamy, Nitay Joffe, Paul McKellar, Sumon Sadhu | Announced |
| Mar 1, 2015 | $120K Seed | — | — | Announced |
Key people at Tab.
Tab was founded in 2015 by Mark Datta (Founder/CEO).
Tab has raised $2.4M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Tab's investors include Icebreaker.vc, Index Ventures, Solana Ventures, Soma Capital, Charlie Songhurst, Chris Eyre, Cory Levy, Guillermo Rauch, Kaarel Kotkas, Kristjan Vilosius, Markus Villig, Martin Sokk.
Tab is a technology company revolutionizing how travelers discover, plan, and book trips by providing a payment and booking platform tailored for tourism businesses. It enables hotels, tour operators, and restaurants—especially in emerging markets across Latin America, Asia, and Africa—to accept international payments both online and in-person, facilitating direct bookings without commission fees. This platform addresses key industry pain points such as high third-party booking commissions and inefficient international payment processing, thereby increasing profitability and direct engagement for tourism operators. Tab’s user-friendly guide enhances business visibility to travelers, streamlining the booking process and improving the overall travel experience[1][2][3][4].
Founded in 2014 (or 2015, with some sources varying slightly), Tab was created by Mark Datta (CEO) and Chris Wood (CTO), who brought their expertise to build a platform focused on emerging tourism markets. The idea emerged from recognizing the challenges faced by independent tourism businesses in collecting international payments and managing bookings efficiently. Early traction came through participation in Y Combinator Winter 2015, which helped Tab scale its proprietary payment infrastructure and expand into 20 countries, supporting hundreds of independent tourism businesses[1][2].
Tab rides the global trend of digitizing travel and tourism payments, particularly in emerging markets where traditional payment infrastructure is often lacking or costly. The timing is favorable as international travel rebounds and travelers increasingly seek direct, transparent booking options. Market forces such as the rise of mobile payments, demand for localized currency transactions, and the growth of independent tourism businesses support Tab’s expansion. By enabling direct bookings and reducing reliance on large third-party platforms, Tab empowers smaller operators and fosters a more decentralized travel ecosystem[1][2][4].
Looking ahead, Tab is positioned to deepen its footprint in emerging markets and expand its product offerings to further streamline travel payments and bookings. Trends such as increased mobile internet penetration, growing middle-class travel demand in developing regions, and the push for more sustainable, locally-driven tourism experiences will shape its journey. Tab’s influence may evolve from a payment facilitator to a broader travel technology platform, potentially integrating more discovery, planning, and personalized travel services, reinforcing its mission to revolutionize how travelers connect with local tourism businesses worldwide[1][2][4].
