Lighthouse Secures $370 Million Investment, Reaching Unicorn Status in Travel Tech

KKR leads $370M investment in hotel analytics provider Lighthouse - SiliconANGLE

KKR leads $370M investment in hotel analytics provider Lighthouse Lighthouse Intelligence Ltd., a startup with a suite of analytics tools for hotel operators, today announced that it has secured a $370 million investment led by KKR. The deal reportedly closed at a valuation exceeding $1 billion. It follows a $80 million Series B round in 2021. London-based Lighthouse provides a set of software tools that hotel operators use to track competitors and customer demand. According to the software maker, its product suite is used by more than 70,000 hospitality companies. The dataset that powers the suite includes information on more than 300,000 hotels. One of Lighthouse's products, Rate Insight, is used by large hospitality companies to track rivals' room prices. The software can highlight if a competitor charged less for a certain type of room in the past week. Rate Insight also provides various other data points that can make it easier for a hotel operator to set prices. Another Lighthouse tool helps companies ensure their rates are consistent. When a hotel operator advertises a room across multiple travel booking websites, technical issues or human error can cause pricing to differ across the listings. Lighthouse's software automates the task of detecting such inconsistencies to save time for marketing teams. In addition to pricing data, the company's application suite helps hotel operators monitor customer demand. Lighthouse offers a market intelligence tool that analyzes consumers' hotel searches and flight bookings to find sales growth opportunities. The platform can, for example, point out opportune times to launch a new marketing campaign or offer discounts to repeat visitors. Lighthouse sells its product suite for large hotel operators alongside a number of applications that target small hospitality companies. One such tool, Channel Manager, automates some of the work involved in listing a hotel room across multiple booking websites. It also promises to avoid double bookings by keeping those listings synced with one another. Lighthouse will use its latest funding round to further expand its product portfolio. As part of the effort, the company plans to roll out more data management and artificial intelligence features. Lighthouse already uses AI to automate some of the analytics tasks that customers perform with its software. The engineering investments will allow the company to provide "deeper insights, advanced automation, and a more seamless user experience -- all designed to help hotels and hospitality businesses compete and win in an increasingly dynamic marketplace," Lighthouse Chief Executive Officer Sean Fitzpatrick wrote in a blog post. Lighthouse also plans to expand its international presence. The company will do so partly by offering more "localized solutions and support," Fitzpatrick detailed.

Lighthouse Announces $370 Million Series C Investment Led by KKR to Accelerate Platform Innovation and Growth By Investing.com

Investment supports continued expansion of AI and business intelligence capabilities for over 70,000 hospitality properties globally LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lighthouse, the leading commercial intelligence platform for the travel & hospitality industry, today announced an approximately $370 million growth investment led by global investment firm, KKR. This investment accelerates Lighthouse's mission to reimagine commercial strategy for the $15 billion travel & hospitality technology market. Proceeds from the investment will be used to drive continued product innovation across Lighthouse's platform, strategic acquisitions, and global expansion efforts. Lighthouse's suite of products provides revenue managers, commercial leaders, and accommodation owners with easy-to-use tools that drive incremental bookings, streamline operations, and enable a better customer experience for guests. The platform is underpinned by proprietary technology that processes over 400 terabytes of travel and market data daily and leverages AI to deliver real-time insights that enable customers to make better and more efficient operational decisions. Lighthouse has established itself as hospitality's leading commercial intelligence platform, with 700+ employees worldwide and an industry-leading NPS score of 70+. We're extremely grateful to the 70,000+ hospitality providers, who have placed their trust in Lighthouse, said Sean Fitzpatrick, CEO of Lighthouse. I couldn't be more energized by what we're working towards. We're just getting started in making hospitality data and tools more powerful, accessible, and affordable. This investment by KKR significantly accelerates our ability to enhance our commercial platform through expanded AI capabilities and additional data sets, enabling us to better serve our existing customers while continuing to expand across the hospitality market. KKR has established a proven track record of supporting technology-focused growth companies, having invested approximately $23 billion in related investments since 2010 through its private equity and growth equity funds and built a dedicated global team of nearly 70 investment professionals with deep technology growth equity expertise. Lighthouse will be able to leverage KKR's extensive industry experience, local resources and global network to help further enhance its customer offerings and tap into new segments globally. Lighthouse has demonstrated an exceptional ability to support hoteliers of all sizes " ranging from global chains to independent properties " by addressing the unique needs of each segment, said Stephen Shanley, Partner and Head of Tech Growth in Europe at KKR. Their strong track record, customer loyalty, and proven ability to deliver value across varied markets position them as the leading platform in this space. We are proud to support Lighthouse in expanding its global footprint, driving continued innovation, and enhancing its market leading offerings. This latest funding builds on Lighthouse's $80M Series B investment round, which was completed in November 2021. Existing investors Spectrum Equity, F-Prime Capital, Eight Roads Ventures, and Highgate Technology Ventures will continue their participation in the business. KKR is making the investment in Lighthouse through its Next (LON:NXT) Generation Technology III Fund. William Blair acted as financial advisor. Latham & Watkins served as legal advisor to Lighthouse and Gibson Dunn as legal advisor to KKR. About Lighthouse Lighthouse (formerly OTA Insight) is the leading commercial platform for the travel & hospitality industry. We transform complexity into confidence by providing actionable market insights, business intelligence, and pricing tools that maximize revenue growth. We continually innovate to deliver the best platform for hospitality professionals to price more effectively, measure performance more efficiently, and understand the market in new ways. Trusted by over 70,000 hotels in 185 countries, Lighthouse is the only solution that provides real-time hotel and short-term rental data in a single platform. We strive to deliver the best possible experience with unmatched customer service. We consider our clients as true partners"their success is our success. For more information about Lighthouse, please visit: https://www.mylighthouse.com. About KKR KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management as well as capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR's insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life and reinsurance products under the management of Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKR's investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: NYSE:KKR), please visit KKR's website at www.kkr.com. For additional information about Global Atlantic Financial Group, please visit Global Atlantic Financial Group's website at www.globalatlantic.com.

Lighthouse Announces $370 Million Series C Investment Led by KKR to Accelerate Platform Innovation and Growth

Investment supports continued expansion of AI and business intelligence capabilities for over 70,000 hospitality properties globally Lighthouse, the leading commercial intelligence platform for the travel & hospitality industry, today announced an approximately $370 million growth investment led by global investment firm, KKR. This investment accelerates Lighthouse's mission to reimagine commercial strategy for the $15 billion travel & hospitality technology market. Proceeds from the investment will be used to drive continued product innovation across Lighthouse's platform, strategic acquisitions, and global expansion efforts. Lighthouse's suite of products provides revenue managers, commercial leaders, and accommodation owners with easy-to-use tools that drive incremental bookings, streamline operations, and enable a better customer experience for guests. The platform is underpinned by proprietary technology that processes over 400 terabytes of travel and market data daily and leverages AI to deliver real-time insights that enable customers to make better and more efficient operational decisions. Lighthouse has established itself as hospitality's leading commercial intelligence platform, with 700+ employees worldwide and an industry-leading NPS score of 70+. "We're extremely grateful to the 70,000+ hospitality providers, who have placed their trust in Lighthouse," said Sean Fitzpatrick, CEO of Lighthouse. "I couldn't be more energized by what we're working towards. We're just getting started in making hospitality data and tools more powerful, accessible, and affordable. This investment by KKR significantly accelerates our ability to enhance our commercial platform through expanded AI capabilities and additional data sets, enabling us to better serve our existing customers while continuing to expand across the hospitality market." KKR has established a proven track record of supporting technology-focused growth companies, having invested approximately $23 billion in related investments since 2010 through its private equity and growth equity funds and built a dedicated global team of nearly 70 investment professionals with deep technology growth equity expertise. Lighthouse will be able to leverage KKR's extensive industry experience, local resources and global network to help further enhance its customer offerings and tap into new segments globally. "Lighthouse has demonstrated an exceptional ability to support hoteliers of all sizes - ranging from global chains to independent properties - by addressing the unique needs of each segment," said Stephen Shanley, Partner and Head of Tech Growth in Europe at KKR. "Their strong track record, customer loyalty, and proven ability to deliver value across varied markets position them as the leading platform in this space. We are proud to support Lighthouse in expanding its global footprint, driving continued innovation, and enhancing its market leading offerings." This latest funding builds on Lighthouse's $80M Series B investment round, which was completed in November 2021. Existing investors Spectrum Equity, F-Prime Capital, Eight Roads Ventures, and Highgate Technology Ventures will continue their participation in the business. KKR is making the investment in Lighthouse through its Next Generation Technology III Fund. William Blair acted as financial advisor. Latham & Watkins served as legal advisor to Lighthouse and Gibson Dunn as legal advisor to KKR. About Lighthouse Lighthouse (formerly OTA Insight) is the leading commercial platform for the travel & hospitality industry. We transform complexity into confidence by providing actionable market insights, business intelligence, and pricing tools that maximize revenue growth. We continually innovate to deliver the best platform for hospitality professionals to price more effectively, measure performance more efficiently, and understand the market in new ways. Trusted by over 70,000 hotels in 185 countries, Lighthouse is the only solution that provides real-time hotel and short-term rental data in a single platform. We strive to deliver the best possible experience with unmatched customer service. We consider our clients as true partners -- their success is our success. For more information about Lighthouse, please visit: https://www.mylighthouse.com. About KKR KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management as well as capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR's insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life and reinsurance products under the management of Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKR's investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR's website at www.kkr.com. For additional information about Global Atlantic Financial Group, please visit Global Atlantic Financial Group's website at www.globalatlantic.com.

UK hospitality startup Lighthouse enters unicorn club with $370M raise

London-based startup Lighthouse just raised a hefty $370mn from American investment giant KKR at a valuation of over $1bn, making it Europe's latest unicorn tech company. The funding will supercharge the company's ambitions to shake up the $15bn travel tech market. What's on the to-do list? Refining its AI tools, expanding globally, and snapping up competitors through mergers and acquisitions (it has already made four). Lighthouse's platform crunches over 400 terabytes of travel data every day, using AI to turn that ocean of info into bite-sized insights that help hotels make better business decisions. It includes data like how many people are booking rooms, when they're booking, what they're willing to pay, and how hotels compare to others in the same area. This data helps businesses understand the market, predict trends, and make decisions to increase bookings and revenue. The startup says its tools are used by over 70,000 hospitality providers in 185 countries, including big names like Holiday Inn, Radisson, and NH Hotel Group. It has more than 700 employees worldwide. CEO Sean Fitzpatrick is pumped about what's next. "I couldn't be more energized by what we're working towards. We're just getting started in making hospitality data and tools more powerful, accessible, and affordable," he said, adding that KKR's investment will boost AI capabilities, pull in new data sets, and push the company deeper into the global market. Gino Engels and Matthias Geeroms founded Lighthouse in 2012. The company was originally called OTA Insight and started in Ghent, Belgium, before moving its HQ to London. Now, it has raised one of the largest rounds for any startup based in the British capital. For KKR, this is another notch in a long belt of tech growth bets. Since 2010, the firm has funnelled around $23bn into the sector. Stephen Shanley, KKR's head of tech growth in Europe, called Lighthouse "the leading platform in this space," praising its ability to serve everyone from boutique inns to multinational hotel chains. Back in 2021, Lighthouse raised $80mn in a Series B, with backers like Spectrum Equity and F-Prime Capital sticking around for this latest buy-in.

Lighthouse, an analytics provider for the hospitality sector, lights up with $370M at a $1B valuation | TechCrunch

Here is yet one more sign of the travel industry's noticeable boom: a major growth round for one of the B2B startups servicing it. Lighthouse, a data analytics platform for hotels and others in the hospitality industry, has closed a Series C of $370 million. The KKR-led round catapults Lighthouse to a valuation of over $1 billion. The funding will be used to continue building out more data sets, analytics tools and AI functionality, the company said. It may also be using this large capital injection for acquisitions to evolve its business: the company has made four acquisitions to date, and one from earlier this year -- Stardekk -- has built all-in-one hotel software for managing reservations and more. The company is based out of London, and this is one of the biggest rounds for a startup based in the city, as well as one of the biggest rounds for the travel sector, for this year. For those tracking how Europe's startup ecosystem is performing at the moment, Lighthouse's funding track record is instructive: the company raised $80 million in 2021, at a peak moment for fundraising. This latest round is an affirmation from investors that it's been doing the right things in the last several years. In Europe, startups have been beaten by slower activity across a number of segments of tech, geopolitical turmoil and slow economic growth. Lighthouse has aimed its business at a global market (currently estimated to be worth some $15 trillion annually), and its focus on business intelligence and applying newer technology like AI to providing it, underscores how data-driven businesses continue to see opportunities. The company's core set of tools are not directly related to taking bookings or managing staff and accounts per se. Instead, its focus is on business intelligence, specifically analytics and insights. It says that it crunches 400 terabytes of travel and market data daily, and "leverages AI" to provide insights to customers, with products targeting large hotel chains, and others targeting smaller operations. It says it has more than 70,000 hospitality providers using its tools, with some of the big names including Holiday Inn, Radisson and NH Hotel Group. The round is a testament to the demand among hotels for better tooling to improve its pricing and overall offer to customers, at a time when we have more choice than ever before, and more ways of finding and booking hotels. "We're just getting started in making hospitality data and tools more powerful, accessible, and affordable," said Sean Fitzpatrick, CEO of Lighthouse, in a statement. "I couldn't be more energized by what we're working towards." We're hopefully speaking with him later today to hear more. The company's previous round included Spectrum Equity, F-Prime Capital, Eight Roads Ventures, and Highgate Technology Ventures, and all of these investors are also participating in this latest Series C.

KKR Inks $370 Million Investment, Propels Lighthouse's Global Hospitality Ambitions - KKR (NYSE:KKR)

Lighthouse to use funds for product innovation, strategic acquisitions, and AI-based commercial platform upgrades. KKR & Co. Inc. KKR shares are trading higher premarket on Thursday. The company led a $370 million growth investment in Lighthouse, a commercial intelligence platform for the travel and hospitality industry. This funding will propel Lighthouse's efforts to transform commercial strategy within the $15 billion travel and hospitality technology sector. The investment will be allocated towards further product innovation, strategic acquisitions, and expanding Lighthouse's global presence. Notably, KKR has a proven track record of investing $23 billion in technology-focused growth companies since 2010, which will help Lighthouse expand globally. Sean Fitzpatrick, CEO of Lighthouse said, "This investment by KKR significantly accelerates our ability to enhance our commercial platform through expanded AI capabilities and additional data sets, enabling us to better serve our existing customers while continuing to expand across the hospitality market." Yesterday, KKR launched the second stage of its tender offer for FUJI SOFT INCORPORATED shares and share options, which started on November 20, 2024, and will run until December 19, 2024. The tender offer price is 9,451 yen per common share and varies for share options, with prices set at 1,197,200 yen for the 5th Series, 1,059,800 yen for the 6th Series, and 293,200 yen for the 7th Series. Investors can gain exposure to KKR via FM Focus Equity ETF FMCX and EA Series Trust WHITEWOLF Publicly Listed Private Equity ETF LBO. Price Action: KKR shares are up 1.19% at $153.99 premarket at the last check Thursday. Read Next: Deal Dispatch: Shell, Unilever And More Are On The Sell Side; The Onion Makes Alex Jones Cry Foul Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs