Viajanet

About Viajanet

Viajanet operates as a Brazil-based online travel agency, offering a digital platform for consumers to purchase airline tickets, book hotels, and arrange travel packages. Founded in 2009 by Alex Todres and Bob Rossato, the company established itself in São Caetano do Sul, São Paulo, with a focus on simplifying online travel booking. Alex Todres began his career in his family's import business before transitioning to the marketing department at Decolar, an experience that provided foundational knowledge for co-founding Viajanet.

The company's business model is centered on providing a comprehensive travel marketplace for the Brazilian e-consumer. It generates revenue by facilitating the sale of travel products, including access to a vast inventory of airfares, over 100,000 hotels, car rentals, and travel insurance from approximately 900 airline companies. In addition to its direct-to-consumer (B2C) channel, which accounts for the majority of its sales, Viajanet also engages in business-to-business (B2B) activities. A notable part of its strategy includes a white-label service, initiated in 2015, where it powers the travel booking platforms for other major companies like Walmart and TIM Brasil.

Viajanet's platform serves as its primary product, offering users tools to search and compare a wide range of travel options. Features such as the 'Econômetro' and 'Quando Viajar' were developed to help customers identify the most economical times to travel. The company primarily targets the Brazilian domestic market but also facilitates international travel bookings for Brazilians. Following a period of growth, which included a significant investment of US$19 million in 2011 from venture capital firms such as Redpoint Ventures and General Catalyst, Viajanet was acquired by Despegar.com (Decolar) in June 2022 for approximately US$15 million. This acquisition was part of Despegar's broader strategy to consolidate its presence in the Latin American market. After the acquisition, Alex Todres took on the role of Director-General for Decolar in Brazil.