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Travaras
Techstars '24Sacramento, US · 3 known investors
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Travaras is a platform that connects travelers with vetted nonprofit partners offering curated, experience-based immersions focused on conservation and cultural preservation. The company enables philanthropic families to support regenerative travel initiatives that fund ongoing community and environmental work.
Also known as LOAM · Loam Travel
Founders & leadership
Investors · 3
How we know: the Techstars portfolio · open dataset · Top 3000 Accelerator Startups (no YC) 2026-08 · research · shorttermrentalz.com · Not right? Tell us
Also in the syndicate · 1
Funding
SEC filings, press & company announcements- Undisclosed amountpre-seed fundingMay 2025Source ↗
Source: company announcements and press reports — follow each round's link for the claim.
Company profile
researched Sep 2026Travaras, which presents its consumer-facing brand as LOAM, operates a travel platform that curates private cultural and conservation experiences delivered with trusted nonprofit partners. Its core product is the "Immersion": a one-day, behind-the-scenes experience that travellers add to an existing trip, through which they participate in conservation or cultural preservation work in heavily visited destinations. The company positions the model as regenerative travel, in which tourism spending is directed toward communities, local culture and fragile ecosystems rather than being extracted from them.
Alongside the booking platform, the company describes a nonprofit arm intended to amplify conservation work at the local level through educational programming and impact storytelling, and to connect funders with partner organisations operating on the ground. The company also publishes a journal with articles authored by Lisa Hennessy and Jennifer Loh covering regenerative travel philosophy, partner projects and topics such as the effects of federal funding on tourism.
A Techstars company listing characterises Travaras as a curated travel marketplace of certified sustainable accommodations and activities, aimed at helping conscious travellers find and book travel that supports local communities, reduces environmental footprint and preserves cultural heritage. The listing places the company in e-commerce, marketing, social impact, software, sustainability and travel, with 1-10 employees and a founding year of 2023.
Founding story
Trade press reports that Travaras was co-founded by Lisa Hennessy and Jennifer Loh, who took part in Techstars Bay Area; the Techstars managing director described the team as having converted the accelerator's Bay Area group into believers in travel technology.
Business model
Travaras curates and distributes experiences ("Immersions") supplied by vetted nonprofit partners, acting as an intermediary between travellers and on-the-ground organisations. Sources describe a marketplace of certified sustainable accommodations and activities that travellers can find and book, plus a nonprofit arm that channels educational programming, impact storytelling and funder introductions to partner organisations. Specific pricing or commission terms are not stated in the sources.
Traction
Trade press reported in May 2025 that curated experiences were at that time bookable only in Hawaii. The Techstars listing records a headcount of 1-10 employees. The company's site cites two Forbes press features covering technology startups in travel and regenerative tourism.
Latest developments
In May 2025 the company announced the close of a $1.54 million pre-seed round, with proceeds earmarked for core platform development, improvements to the traveller journey, and organic educational and marketing campaigns around regenerative travel.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
An early-stage, pre-seed entrant in the sustainable and regenerative travel segment, described in trade press as a regenerative travel startup and listed in the Techstars portfolio.
Each Immersion is verified through an in-house impact assessment spanning five dimensions: environment (effect on natural resources and ecosystems), culture (preservation of local traditions), community (engagement with local people, businesses and schools), governance (sustainable policies and practices) and workforce (hiring practices and employee wellbeing). Experiences are delivered with nonprofit partners rather than commercial tour operators.
Technology
Travaras operates a web-based booking and discovery platform for curated experiences, supported by an in-house impact assessment framework. The company said pre-seed funding would be used to build out its core product platform and improve the end-to-end traveller journey.
Go-to-market
The company markets directly to consumers through its website, an email newsletter sign-up, a journal of impact and travel-philosophy articles, and press features. It stated that pre-seed proceeds would fund organic educational and marketing campaigns focused on regenerative travel. Partner organisations access the company through a dedicated partner portal.
Philanthropic-minded and conscious travellers who want to add purpose-driven, behind-the-scenes experiences to existing trips, as well as funders seeking connections to local conservation and cultural-preservation organisations.
Geography
Headquartered in the United States, with Techstars listing locations in Liberty Station (San Diego), San Jose, San Francisco and Sacramento, California. Bookable experiences were reported as limited to Hawaii as of May 2025, while the company frames its focus as heavily travelled regions worldwide.
History
The Techstars listing gives a founding year of 2023. The company participated in Techstars Bay Area, whose managing director Neal Sales-Griffin became an investor. In May 2025 it announced a completed pre-seed round of $1.54 million, above its $1.5 million target. The consumer-facing site presents the brand as LOAM and includes a nonprofit arm focused on conservation funding and education.
Compiled by commissioned research from 5 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 1
launches, deals, and filingsTravaras announced it had surpassed its $1.5 million pre-seed target, raising $1.54 million. The company said proceeds would fund build-out of its core product platform, improvements to the end-to-end traveller journey, and organic educational and marketing campaigns around regenerative travel. Techstars managing director Neal Sales-Griffin, an investor, cited the team's work in Techstars Bay Area.
$1.5M source ↗
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 5
primary sources listed
- Travarastravaras.com · web
5 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Travaras do?
- Travaras is a regenerative travel platform curating vetted cultural and conservation immersions with nonprofit partners.
- Who founded Travaras?
- Travaras was founded by Jennifer, Lisa, Sergey Tiraspolsky.
- Who are Travaras's investors?
- Travaras's investors include HAWKTAIL, Techstars.
- Where is Travaras headquartered?
- Travaras is headquartered in Sacramento, US.