Vikey, a startup that enables self check-in for accommodation facilities, has closed a new investment round of €800K, with the participation of CDP Venture Capital Sgr – Fondo Nazionale Innovazione, through the AccelerOra! Program – Italian Angels for Growth (IAG), LVenture Group and other business angels. With this new capital increase, the startup’s total funding rises to €1.6 million.
Founded in 2016, Vikey has developed a combined hardware/software solution for hotels and apartments intended for hospitality use, to open the accommodation’s door directly via smartphone. Their system manages all aspects of check-in and check-out, including sending documents and paying for upselling services. Thanks to Vikey, hosts can accept all reservations (even last minute), increasing the occupancy rate, while saving time and costs, if compared to traditional check-in procedure.
Despite the negative impact of the pandemic on the entire tourism sector, Vikey has adapted the accommodation offer to the post-COVID world. The travel marketing company Oracle and Skift has recently carried an international study that highlights how the adoption of new technologies – specifically contactless solutions for check-in – has proved to be a key factor to restart the industry. As a matter of fact, Vikey has recently signed national and international partnerships with major players in the hotel and alternative hospitality sectors, such as Altido (owner of 1,800 real estate properties, which is now affiliated with Vikey in 25 European cities).
“This new round of investment is an important result for Vikey and means investors truly believe in our project. Our solution has experienced a significant growth lately, considering that contactless services are more and more requested in the hotel industry and other sectors as well. This capital rise is a fundamental step to keep innovating and scale-up in a market that is transforming at a very high pace”, said Luca Bernardoni, CEO of Vikey.
“We have proudly invested in Vikey with a second round because we know the team is skilled and their vision is able to intercept new needs, thanks to their technological masterplan: in short, we are confident about their future”, said Valerio Caracciolo, Champion IAG and Italian Vice President of Angels for Growth.
“Vikey has successfully anticipated market changes and reacted accordingly, even among difficulties. The new investment round will support the startup in its international expansion path, thanks to many important partners in our network, such as CDP Venture Capital Sgr and IAG. This an important signal for the Italian innovation ecosystem: resilient, scale-up driven teams like Vikey’s are the future of our entrepreneurial fabric”, said Luigi Capello, CEO of LVenture Group.
“The Vikey team has shown excellent adaptive skills, but above all intuition and creativity, seizing new market opportunities and developing a product that truly makes the difference for tourists and hosts, exceptionally affected by the consequences of the pandemic – commented Stefano Molino, Head of the Accelerators Fund of CDP Venture Capital Sgr – We are thrilled to support, through the AccelerOra! program those promising early-stage companies, helping them to realize their projects even in challenging scenarios such as this one”.