travelmob

travelmob is a technology company.

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Updated: Mar 20, 2026 ·

About

Travelmob operated a social marketplace connecting travelers with local hosts for short-term accommodations. The platform facilitated vacation rentals, rooms for rent, and unique stays across the Asia Pacific region. It provided a direct booking system that enabled guests to discover and book private lodging options, from apartments to villas, directly from property owners. The company focused on delivering authentic, localized travel experiences distinct from traditional hotel stays.

The company was founded in Singapore around 2011 by Turochas Fuad and PK. Their insight stemmed from recognizing a significant opportunity for a dedicated online platform catering to the burgeoning vacation rental market within Asia Pacific. They aimed to capitalize on the region's diverse accommodation landscape and the growing demand for local, experiential travel, building a community-driven model before its acquisition by HomeAway.

Travelmob served a customer base of guests seeking unique and value-driven alternative lodging, alongside local property owners looking to monetize their spare spaces. The company's vision was to build trust and educate the market on the advantages of vacation rentals, expanding options for travelers beyond traditional hotels and fostering a vibrant ecosystem of hosts and guests across the Asian continent.

Recent News & Mentions

Oct 1, 2012Fundingtravelmob - Seed

Financial History

travelmob has raised $1.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $1.0M Seed in October 2012.

Total Raised

$1.0M

Valuation

N/A

Funding Rounds Raised

Date	Round	Lead Investors	Other Investors
Oct 1, 2012	$1.0M Seed		Jungle Ventures

Financial History

travelmob has raised $1.0M across 1 funding round.

Total Raised

$1.0M

Valuation

N/A

Deep Dive

High-Level Overview

Travelmob is a technology company that operated as a leading social stay marketplace in Asia, enabling travelers to discover, book, and offer unique vacation rentals and distinctive lodging across the Asia Pacific region.[1][2][4] It functioned like "Asia's version of Airbnb," connecting "Guests" with local "Hosts" for cool places to stay, spanning sectors like real estate, hospitality, social networking, consumer services, and travel.[2][3][4] The platform solved the problem of finding authentic, non-hotel accommodations in emerging markets by fostering a peer-to-peer marketplace, achieving early growth momentum with $1 million in funding and regional expansion.[4]

Origin Story

Travelmob emerged as a pioneering platform in the Asia Pacific travel tech scene, positioning itself as a social marketplace for vacation rentals before rebranding to HomeAway.com.ph.[3] Specific details on founders, founding year, or exact idea origins are not detailed in available sources, but it gained early traction by hitting key milestones like securing $1 million in funding while plotting further growth in distinctive lodging bookings.[4] A pivotal moment was its recognition as a social-stay innovator, passing initial hurdles to collect investment and expand offerings for travelers and hosts.[4]

Core Differentiators

Travelmob stood out in the vacation rental space through these key features:

Social marketplace model: Users could find, offer, and book stays directly from local hosts, emphasizing community-driven discovery over traditional listings.[1][2][3]
Asia Pacific focus: Tailored for regional travelers seeking "cool places" and distinctive lodging, akin to Airbnb but optimized for emerging markets like the Philippines.[3][4]
Peer-to-peer connectivity: Bridged guests and hosts in hospitality and real estate, blending social networking with travel for authentic experiences.[2][4]

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Travelmob rode the early wave of the sharing economy in travel, capitalizing on the rise of peer-to-peer lodging platforms in Asia Pacific amid growing regional tourism and mobile booking adoption.[4] Its timing aligned with market forces like increasing demand for unique, non-hotel stays in high-growth areas, influencing the ecosystem by proving viability for localized Airbnb-like models before global players dominated.[1][3][4] This helped shape startup activity in hospitality tech, paving the way for rebranded successors like HomeAway.com.ph in competitive markets.[3]

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Travelmob's trajectory highlights the explosive potential of social stay marketplaces in Asia, though its evolution into HomeAway.com.ph suggests adaptation to sustained competition from giants like Airbnb.[3] Looking ahead, trends like experiential travel and AI-driven personalization could revive similar models, with Travelmob's legacy influencing niche regional platforms amid post-pandemic tourism booms. Its early $1M milestone underscores how timing and local focus can disrupt, potentially evolving into broader proptech plays.[4]

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

How much funding has travelmob raised?

travelmob has raised $1.0M in total across 1 funding round.

Who are travelmob's investors?

travelmob's investors include Jungle Ventures.