Best Startup
At Best Startup UK we track over 130,000 UK startups and over 500,000 people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top United Kingdom based Founder operating in the Travel Agency space. If you think a Founder is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.co.uk.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Companies House UK, Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Matthew Luczynski
Co-Founder, Chief Strategy Office of Travala.com
Matthew Luczynski is a Tech & Marketing Entrepreneur, Strategic & Innovative Thinker, and the Founder of Travala.com. Book 2,200,000 hotels and homes worldwide with savings of up to 40%. Pay with 30 cryptos and credit card. Best price guaranteed and 24/7 Support. Matthew has worked on a number of start-ups within the travel space, with a focus on Fintech & Blockchain technology.
Follow Matthew Luczynski:
About Travala.com: Travala.com, the world’s leading cryptocurrency-friendly hotel booking service with the best prices on 2 Million+ properties, worldwide.
Manoj Ganapathy
Founder & CEO of SalesTrip
Proven entrepreneur solving real world business problems using technology. Previously built and sold Invoice IT to Salesforce.
Follow Manoj Ganapathy:
About SalesTrip: Expense management and travel booking system on Salesforce. Better track and justify expense spend with SalesTrip.
Richard Goodall
Founder of SalesTrip
Follow Richard Goodall:
About PhiX Technologies, Precursive, SalesTrip: Expense management and travel booking system on Salesforce. Better track and justify expense spend with SalesTrip.
Tom Marchant
Owner and Co-Founder of Black Tomato
Tom Marchant is an entrepreneurial traveler and co-founder of The Black Tomato Group, parent company of the award-winning bespoke luxury travel operator Black Tomato, strategic creative agency Studio Black Tomato and incentive travel group Black Tomato Agency. Black Tomato, a Virtuoso member, has been recognized as the leading innovative authority in global luxury travel by revered industry voices including Bloomberg, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Vogue. Tom Marchant and Black Tomato were awarded Conde Nast Traveler’s 2019 World’s Best Travel Specialists and Tom lauded as ‘one of the 50 people in the world changing the way we travel’. Marchant is a member Travel + Leisure’s A List contributor to Newsweek, Harper’s Bazaar and Inc.
Follow Tom Marchant:
About Black Tomato: Black Tomato is a bespoke luxury travel company that delivers imaginative and travel experiences around the world.
Matt Smith
Co-Founder and Director of Black Tomato
Matt Smith set up Black Tomato Ltd with Tom Marchant and James Merrett in 2005 and to date have had a broad strategic and operational remit across all areas of Black Tomato. Central to Matt’s role is the responsibility for both driving forward the day to day business operations and Business Development / Sales processes that have underpinned the Group’s commercial success and significant growth. I also oversees a number of critical areas of the business including, Office Infrastructure, Company /Staff Culture, IT, Security, Data Protection/GDPR, HR, H&S / F&S, Insurance, Legal Contracting , Procurement, Staff / Business expenses, Staff Reward / Engagement, Staff Training and Staff Meetings and Events. Alongside this, he leads critical strategic projects including those that increase profitability and productivity across the business in line with the constant reinforcement of BT’s ‘purpose’ and company culture both internally and externally.
Follow Matt Smith:
About Black Tomato: Black Tomato is a bespoke luxury travel company that delivers imaginative and travel experiences around the world.
Tom Stapleton
Co-Founder and CEO of TravelLocal
Tom is originally from Kent, in England and loves real ale and trains. In hindsight, TravelLocal wouldn’t have worked without this unique combination – he and Huw talked strategy on long train journeys and got creative at the local pub, all in the service of this travel revolution. Tom does many things for TravelLocal, but spends much of his day choosing and communicating with the amazing local travel companies with whom we work. He has worked in the travel industry since 2005 so knows where to look and what questions to ask. Tom’s favourite travel memory took place on the Trans-Asia express between Istanbul and Tehran where he shared a compartment and a bottle of wine with an Iranian couple. The scenery in Eastern Turkey was spectacular, and the train crossed Lake Van by ferry(!), but it was the mix of people on board that really made this journey special.
Follow Tom Stapleton:
About TravelLocal: Global managed marketplace for tailor-made holidays.
Huw Owen
Co-Founder of TravelLocal
Huw is originally from Wales, as his name gives away, and is a failed musician, which has had no effect whatsoever on TravelLocal. However, he has lived and worked in some far-flung places – as a teacher in Japan, managing a local travel company in Cambodia and latterly working with the UN to mentor local travel entrepreneurs in Uganda and Egypt. He has worked in the travel industry since 2003, and spends most of his time extolling the benefits of buying local to just about anyone who will listen, whilst ensuring that our customers are well looked after. Huw has travelled all over the globe, but seeing a mountain gorilla at close quarters is like no other travel experience he’s ever had. He was in thick forest in Bwindi, Uganda, where he came across not one, but three silverbacks. Their sheer size and strength simply took his breath away.
Follow Huw Owen:
About TravelLocal: Global managed marketplace for tailor-made holidays.
James Mannings
Co-Founder & CEO of The Top Villas
Follow James Mannings:
About The Top Villas: The Top Villas is a firm providing rental services for luxury vacation properties.
Tom Mannings
Co-Founder of The Top Villas
Tom Mannings is a Co-Founder at The Top Villas.
Follow Tom Mannings:
About The Top Villas: The Top Villas is a firm providing rental services for luxury vacation properties.
Dan Harrison
CTO and Co-Founder of Snaptrip
Follow Dan Harrison:
About RentalTrips, Snaptrip: Snaptrip is a marketplace for people to discover the best last minute cottage holiday deals in the UK.
Matthew Fox
CEO and Co-Founder of Snaptrip
Follow Matthew Fox:
About Snaptrip: Snaptrip is a marketplace for people to discover the best last minute cottage holiday deals in the UK.
