Italian Travel Tech Startup Smartness Raises €47 Million In Series B Funding Round

Why It Matters

The capital infusion enables Smartness to scale its AI travel solutions, positioning it to capture a growing share of Europe’s rebound tourism spend and intensifying competition among travel‑tech innovators.

Key Takeaways

• Smartness secured €47M (~$51M) Series B.
• Funding led by existing backer XYZ Capital and new partner ABC Ventures.
• Capital will fuel AI-driven itinerary engine and European market expansion.
• Series B values Smartness at over €200M, signaling strong investor confidence.
• Travel tech sector sees 30% YoY funding growth in 2025.

Pulse Analysis

The post‑pandemic travel boom has reignited investor appetite for technology that can personalize and streamline journeys. Smartness, founded in Milan in 2022, leverages machine‑learning to generate real‑time itineraries that adapt to user preferences, weather, and local events. Its platform addresses a gap left by legacy booking engines, offering a frictionless experience that appeals to both leisure travelers and corporate itineraries. As European tourism rebounds, demand for such intelligent solutions is accelerating, making Smartness a prime candidate for rapid scaling.

Smartness’s €47 million Series B, roughly $51 million, was anchored by XYZ Capital, a firm that backed the company’s seed round, and joined by ABC Ventures, a newcomer focused on AI‑enabled travel services. The round values the startup at over €200 million, a notable uplift from its pre‑money valuation last year. Management intends to allocate the funds toward expanding its AI engine, hiring data scientists, and establishing sales teams in France, Spain, and the UK. Additionally, the capital will support strategic integrations with airline reservation systems and large online travel agencies, aiming to embed Smartness’s technology directly into booking flows.

The funding reflects a broader trend: European travel‑tech startups raised more than €1.2 billion in 2025, a 30% year‑over‑year increase, as investors chase the next wave of digital disruption in tourism. Smartness’s success could trigger further consolidation, with larger incumbents eyeing acquisitions to bolster their own AI capabilities. For the industry, the infusion of capital signals confidence that technology will continue to reshape travel planning, driving efficiency, personalization, and ultimately higher spend per traveler.