The Unseen Disruption: 10 Early-Stage Startups Redefining GCC Travel

As a VC deeply actively watching this market, I see the landscape shifting. The first wave of travel tech was about digital brochures and building online travel agencies (OTAs). The next, and far more interesting, wave is about embedding intelligence into the very fabric of the travel experience. GCC Travel Startups solving deep, complex problems in operations, accommodation, and local experiences. This is where the real enterprise value will be created over the next decade.

Forget the headlines for a moment. These are the companies on my watchlist—the ones operating below the radar but poised for significant impact. They are all Series A or earlier, with less than $3M in funding, but their strategic value is immense.

Theme 1: Building the New Digital Infrastructure

The region’s travel industry still runs on a surprising amount of fragmented, legacy systems. A new set of players is building the digital plumbing to unify it.

• Seeru (UAE): This B2B/B2C marketplace is arming thousands of traditional travel agencies with a unified tech stack and access to modern NDC flight content. They’re not just a booking engine; they are an ecosystem enabler.
  • URL: https://www.seeru.travel
  • Funding: Pre-Seed
• Turismo (Qatar): Focused on the Qatari market, Turismo is creating a unified platform for local agencies to digitize and promote their travel packages. This is a crucial step in helping Qatar’s local players compete with global OTAs post-World Cup.
  • URL: (Emerging/Incubator Stage – a prime example of a pre-market opportunity)
  • Funding: Pre-Seed/Seed

Theme 2: Redefining Accommodation for Vision 2030

As Saudi Arabia races towards 150 million annual visitors, the demand for accommodation will far outstrip hotel supply. This is the single largest opportunity in regional travel tech, and these two are tackling it from different angles.

• Darent (KSA): A classic peer-to-peer marketplace for holiday homes. Darent is building the supply from the ground up, empowering individuals to become hospitality entrepreneurs. Their first-mover advantage is significant.
  • URL: https://www.darent.com
  • Funding: $1M Seed
• Mabaat (KSA): Targeting the premium end, Mabaat offers a full-service management model for high-quality short-term rentals. They provide a turnkey solution for property owners, ensuring a standardized, trusted experience for guests—a key differentiator in a nascent market.
  • URL: https://www.mabaat.com
  • Funding: $2.4M Seed

Theme 3: The AI-Powered Efficiency Layer

Profitability in hospitality is won on operational efficiency. With rising labor costs and guest expectations, AI is no longer a luxury; it’s a necessity.

• Inntelo AI (UAE): This is not just another chatbot. Inntelo’s AI platform integrates directly with hotel systems to automate guest communications and internal workflows. It’s a clear ROI proposition: reduce staff workload, improve response times, and boost guest satisfaction.
  • URL: https://www.inntelo.com
  • Funding: ~$790K Pre-Seed
• Jalebi (UAE): A brilliant example of a niche solution with massive impact. Jalebi uses AI to help restaurants—the lifeblood of hotels—reduce food waste by optimizing inventory and predicting demand. This is a direct play on sustainability and profitability, two of the most important boardroom topics in hospitality today.
  • URL: https://www.jalebi.io
  • Funding: $1M Seed

Theme 4: The Experience Economy Takes Root

The modern traveler, especially the high-value segment the GCC is targeting, seeks authenticity, not just luxury. They want to connect with the local culture.

• ViaVii (Qatar/Jordan): A leader in this space, ViaVii connects travelers with curated, community-based local experiences. Their AI-driven personalization helps build itineraries that go beyond the monuments, which is critical for destinations like Qatar building their long-term tourism identity.
  • URL: https://www.viavii.com
  • Funding: ~$667K Seed
• Shorfah (KSA): As Saudi Arabia opens its doors, Shorfah is ensuring the story is told by its own people. The platform empowers licensed local guides to offer unique cultural tours, providing the kind of authentic engagement that cannot be replicated by large tour operators.
  • URL: https://shorfah.sa
  • Funding: Early Stage
• Waqtah (Qatar): A crucial piece of the puzzle for any destination is making its activities discoverable and bookable. Waqtah is building the go-to marketplace for events and attractions in Qatar, solving a key friction point for both tourists and residents.
  • URL: https://www.wqtah.com
  • Funding: Early Stage

Theme 5: Solving for Unique Regional Demographics

A deep understanding of the local market means building for its unique inhabitants.

• ExpatRide (UAE): The UAE’s massive and transient expat population faces friction with traditional car ownership. ExpatRide’s flexible car subscription service is a brilliant, tailored solution for this demographic, solving a real-world problem with a modern, recurring-revenue model.
  • URL: https://www.expatride.com
  • Funding: Early Stage

The Investor’s Takeaway

The common thread here is depth. These GCC travel startups aren’t skating on the surface; they are embedding themselves into the operational and experiential layers of the travel ecosystem. They are B2B enablers, niche B2C problem-solvers, and data-driven efficiency tools.

For investors, the opportunity lies not just in their individual potential, but in their strategic value to the titans of the industry. It’s not hard to imagine a future where a major airline acquires one of these platforms to lock in its distribution, or a giga-project developer partners with one of these GCC Travel Startups (in the experience space) to build out its local experience.

The next GCC travel startup unicorn will not be another booking site. It might just be the AI that runs the hotel, the platform that manages the homes, or the marketplace that sells the soul of the destination.

What are your thoughts? What early-stage innovators are on your radar?