CleverFi, a startup offering secure global Wi-Fi connectivity by extending users’ home networks abroad, has won the Travel Tech Association’s Start-Up Summit pitch competition in National Landing, Virginia.

Selected from eight finalists by a six-member judging panel, the company received a $10,000 prize.

CleverFi also won the audience vote, with attendees choosing the startup they would personally invest in.

The competition featured seven-minute presentations followed by five minutes of questions, assessing customer needs, solutions, market potential, business models, competitive advantages, progress, vision and delivery. 

“Startups are where the next generation of travel products comes from, and today’s finalists showed how much talent and ambition there is in this sector,” said Laura Chadwick, President and CEO of Travel Tech. “The founders we heard from are building in a tough market. AI is changing how travelers search and book, customers are harder to reach and investors want to see revenue sooner. Yet every company on that stage had a clear answer to a real traveler problem. Our job is to connect founders like CleverFi with the investors, partners and established travel companies that can help them grow.” -TradeArabia News Service