Lobby, Crewfare win People's Choice Awards at the 2026 Global Startup Pitch

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PhocusWire Lobby, Crewfare win People's Choice Awards at the 2026 Global Startup Pitch

What It Says

At the WiT Singapore event, the Global Startup Pitch announced its People's Choice Award winners, celebrating emerging innovators in the travel and travel technology sectors.

• Seedup Category Winner: Lobby, an early-stage startup led by co-founder and CEO Romy Abbrederis.
• Scaleup Category Winner: Crewfare, a growth-stage travel technology platform founded and led by CEO Jason van Esso.

The awards follow the grand finals previously held at Phocuswright Europe, where finalists pitched their businesses to industry leaders and event attendees.

Why It Matters

For the short-term rental (STR) industry, keeping a pulse on award-winning travel startups reveals where investor interest and consumer demand are shifting. Startups like Crewfare, which specializes in group travel, event lodging, and customized booking solutions, highlight a growing demand for streamlined, collaborative booking experiences. STR operators and technology vendors can study these winning platforms to identify emerging integration opportunities, partner on group travel logistics, or adopt similar user-experience innovations to capture larger group bookings.

Useful Signals

• Group Travel Tech Momentum: Crewfare's win in the Scaleup category emphasizes the commercial viability of platforms simplifying group and event-based travel coordination.
• Early-Stage Innovation: Lobby's recognition in the Seedup category signals strong industry backing for its business model, making it a startup to watch for potential partnerships.
• Global Pitch Platforms: The collaboration between WiT Singapore and Phocuswright Europe highlights a highly connected global ecosystem for travel tech validation and funding.

STR Tech Report Take

The recognition of Crewfare and Lobby underscores a broader travel trend: the industry is actively looking for technology that simplifies complex booking journeys. For STR operators, group travel (such as festivals, corporate retreats, and weddings) represents a highly lucrative but operationally complex segment. Platforms that solve these coordination headaches are winning market share. STR technology vendors should look closely at how these startups package their inventory and manage group payments, as incorporating similar seamless group-booking features into property management systems (PMS) and guest experience apps will be a key differentiator in the coming years.

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Lobby, Crewfare win People's Choice Awards at the 2026 Global Startup Pitch