Elude raises $3 million for budget-based travel booking app

Travel booking startup Elude has raised $3 million and unveiled new features to cater to budget-conscious travelers.

The seed round was led by ATX Venture Partners, with participation from Mucker Capital, Unicorn Ventures, Upfront Scout Fund, StartupO, Grayson Capital and others, bringing the Los Angeles-based company’s total funding to $5 million.

Founded in 2019 and launched in August 2021, Elude allows travelers to find and book flights and hotels within their desired price range.

Through the Elude app, users input their budget and preferred departing location and can book their travel within a few taps, eliminating the need to visit multiple websites.

In addition to the seed round, Elude is also announcing new app features, including a “featured trips” section that lets users book a trip in one click.

“The customer experience is always at the forefront of our new developments,” says Elude co-founder and CMO Frankie Scerbo.

“Booking a vacation should be as relaxing and enjoyable as the vacation itself. We also want to encourage more spontaneity and excitement around the travel booking process. We are excited to finally roll out the ‘featured trips,’ allowing users to access the best destination packages in real-time to newfound destinations they may have not considered before.”

Since launch, Elude counts more than 20,000 users exploring its search engine between two and three thousand times a day. The company says the average trip budget is between $1,200 and $1,750.

“The travel space took a heavy blow at the beginning of the pandemic, and now we’re seeing the industry reemerge in the form of a travel rebound,” says Chris Shonk, co-founding partner at ATX Venture Partners.

“What Elude created through an experiential, budget-first and mobile approach to travel resonates with the current market. [Co-founders Scerbo and CEO Alex Simon] successfully developed a way to embed the functionality of travel agents and bring it to the everyday traveler without the costs and hassles associated with other third-party services.”