Travel and Experiences startup from New-York, Tastemakers Africa has raised a $1 million seed round — led by Precursor Ventures.
New-York based travel and experiences startup, Tastemakers Africa have raised a $1 million seed round to help them connect people with authentic experiences and travel options.
Whether you are exploring nightlife with a DJ, learning food traditions from a chef, or experiencing living history with an icon, Tastemakers Africa is sure to give you that experience.
With a goal to build a world in which they value people on equal standing no matter where they are born or the color of their skin, Tastemakers Africa have placed a premium on culture, especially that created by people of African descent whether they are based on the continent or living in the diaspora – we are the keepers of the cool.
Currently in Accra, Cape Town, Dakar, and Johannesburg and quickly expanding worldwide, Tastemakers is building community, fueling passions, and creating sustainable change in a way that values both the visitor and the person who calls Africa home.
According to TechCrunch Reports, “Tastemakers Africa will use the investment to grow the number of experiences offered from 200 to 10,000 and build out machine learning capabilities to better match suppliers, experiences and clients“, says CEO and founder Cherae Robinson.
Tastemakers Africa is looking at ancillary partnership and revenue share opportunities. It uses Stripe and WorldRemit to process mobile payments for transactions on the site and has done promotional partnerships with Uber Africa. The startup also counts Kempinski Hotels as its biggest lodging partner.
On revenue potential, Robinson is pretty upfront on numbers and goals. “If we can capture 1% of that [700 million] market in the next five years that’s, $2.2 billion generated on our platform,” she said, noting an average booking cost of $308. She believes Tastemakers could hit those figures by 2025 — and by applying their 20% commission — reach an income of $434 million.
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