Ex-Google Flights, Kayak execs raise $1.9M to cut AI-driven flight search costs
What's the deal? NavifareDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Zug, Switzerland-based startup also known as ZerolookDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, has raised 1.5 million CHF ($1.9 million) in pre-seed funding to make AI-powered flight searches cheaper. London-based PlayfairDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → led the round, with support from Vento VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, TrueSight VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Alpha VentureDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and angel investors from tech, travel, and finance.
What's the endgame? The company uses machine learning, trained on past fare, schedule, and availability data, to predict flight options and prices instead of answering every query in real time. Each prediction carries a confidence score. The bet: trade some accuracy to handle far more searches at lower cost.
Why now? AI agents are driving a surge in search volumes. According to OAG, searches per ticket sold have grown from 100–200 in the early 2000s to 10,000–20,000 today, and could hit 2 million by 2030.
Each search costs money even when no one books. As co-founder and chief executive officer Simone Lini put it: "Airlines and travel agencies only get paid when someone books, but their technology providers charge them to answer searches and can penalise excessive search volumes."
The founders have sat on both sides of the problem. Lini founded WaynautDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, sold it to Lastminute.com, and led Google FlightsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → partnerships in EMEA. Co-founder and chief technology officer George Hadjiyiannis holds a PhD in computer science from MIT and has led teams at Kayak, Google, Nvidia, and eBay.
What could go wrong? Navifare is entering a market led by AmadeusDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Duffel, and Skyscanner's partner API, all of which provide live results. Its prediction-based approach still needs to prove itself in pilot programs.
The signal: The round is a small one, sitting near the lower end of pre-seed deals by size. But it targets a real infrastructure strain: the global flight data API market was worth $1.72 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $4.67 billion by 2033, growing 13.5% a year. As Hadjiyiannis argued, the underlying systems are "long overdue for modernisation."
Read more: Tech Funding News
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