What does “connectivity” really mean?
In today’s fast-paced world, connectivity is usually associated with modern technology that connects people digitally, such as social media, instant messaging, and video calling. However, outside of these digital realms, the meaning of connectivity is shifting to encompass the ability for people to connect with others in person, online, and anywhere around the globe.
It’s truly a 21st-century idea.
In the post-pandemic era, Canadians are eagerly reclaiming that desire for true connectivity and exploring the world beyond their phone or laptop screens.
Momentum Ventures, a Canadian holding company shaping the travel industry and fostering global connection through embracing cutting-edge technologies, is at the forefront of redefining connectivity.
Founded in Montreal in 2014, Momentum Ventures is a unique entity in the travel sector. With a portfolio that includes trusted travel brands like FlightHub and JustFly, Momentum Ventures operates with a distinctive approach that differentiates itself from traditional venture capital firms or tech incubators.
“It’s really about creating things that we want to work on ourselves,” says Matt Keezer, CEO and co-founder of Momentum Ventures. “We look to create companies in the travel industry and to grow these companies. Where incubators or venture capital are very arm’s length or not very involved, we’re different.”
Wholly owned by its operators, this approach allows Momentum Ventures to grow companies within the travel sector actively, by building companies that its team is genuinely passionate about, strategically investing in them, and contributing to their success.
Momentum Ventures boasts an impressive track record, annually serving over five million customers and achieving $3 billion in sales through its family of online travel agencies and brands.
Redefining Connectivity & User Experience
From the founding of FlightHub in 2012 until today, the core of Momentum Ventures’ success has been not only changing the way people book flights and travel the world but also changing how travellers think about connectivity.
“We view connectivity as the act of connecting people to experiences, connecting people to other people – to either facilitate relationships or facilitate business or facilitate learning – it’s a pathway to enriching life whatever your ambitions are,” Keezer says. “You can go down a philosophical rabbit hole of what it means, but we tend to stay a little bit more pragmatic and practical.”
In that way, Momentum Ventures is not just a facilitator of affordable travel through its online travel agency (OTA) businesses but a catalyst for creating meaningful connections worldwide.
While Momentum Ventures values its business-oriented clients, its primary focus remains on leisure travel – being the portal for its customers to book the next family vacation, that long-awaited romantic getaway, that bucket list trip – and the company understands that competitive pricing is paramount in attracting and keeping those customers.
The advent of FlightHub is a testament to Momentum’s ability to create value through innovative pricing, and the company continues to differentiate itself through a relentless focus on prices that appeal to the leisure travel audience.
Beyond just pricing and convenience, Momentum Ventures sees the next frontier in the OTA sector as streamlining the user experience. Can booking a trip online be an intuitive and painless experience? Upcoming features to FlightHub and JustFly, such as a revamped checkout flow bolstered by innovations in artificial intelligence (AI), indicate Momentum Ventures’ commitment to simplifying the user experience and addressing common pain points in the travel industry.
“Like every other industry, traveling is going to be impacted [by AI] over the next five years and it’s gonna create tremendous disruption to legacy players,” says Keezer.
“Like every other industry, traveling is going to be impacted [by AI] over the next five years and it’s gonna create tremendous disruption to legacy players”
Keezer believes the emergence of so-called “useful AI” will completely transform the OTA industry and vastly improve the customer experience. Thanks to how Momentum Ventures is structured, he sees the company as uniquely positioned over its competitors to take advantage of advances in AI and future-proof its businesses in the process.
“We’ve started doing some very exciting work to rethink and re-invent FlightHub so we can be the unparalleled choice for travellers,” Keezer explains. “We’re creating a parallel effort to remake FlightHub – that’s one of the advantages Momentum Ventures gives us because we can make the decision to build on the side rather than building from within. For a company to reinvent itself internally is very difficult.”
By staying ahead of the curve in technology and user experience, the company ensures FlightHub and JustFly remain preferred choices for travellers seeking affordable and hassle-free journeys – right from the very first click.
Keezer and his team understand the evolving landscape of the travel sector and the need for their family of brands to embrace advances in technology to serve customers better. .
“It’s going to reshape the travel industry in many ways. Our intention is to be the leader in making that change happen.”
Looking to the Future
With AI no longer in the realm of science fiction, what does the future look like for a company already innovating with today’s technology?
Keenly aware that today’s travellers are increasingly conscious of the high carbon footprint of commercial aviation, sustainability is becoming a key focus for Momentum Ventures. While specific details are yet to be revealed, the company is looking to electric aviation, hinting at significant developments that could impact the aviation sector positively.
“This could be really interesting for the industry, and we’ll be ready to talk about it pretty soon,” says Keezer. “It should be exciting for the Montreal, Quebec, and national aviation sectors.”
The commitment to sustainability completely aligns with the company’s stated vision to be a leader not only in technology but also in creating a more environmentally conscious travel industry.
Momentum Ventures’ aspirations for the future extend far beyond conventional travel, electric or otherwise. Using its experience in the OTA industry as a launch pad, the company has begun to explore the realm of commercial space travel with initiatives like SpaceHub.
“We have a lot of ‘Hub’ domains, and SpaceHub has got to be one of them,” Keezer says. “We don’t see any near-term plans for it, but who knows what the future holds.”
While commercial space travel booked through an Online Travel Agency like FlightHub is still the realm of fiction, the existence of SpaceHub hints at the company’s forward-thinking approach and commitment to connecting people through travel in all its forms.
For now, the next frontier for Momentum Ventures’ Hub-branded OTAs appears to be much closer to home. The recently announced CruiseHub will apply the company’s decade-plus of experience in the airline travel sector to the cruise booking experience.
From air travel to space travel, Momentum Ventures envisions the next few years as a transformative time in the industry. With the advent of AI, Keezer anticipates significant disruptions and changes are in store, surpassing the impact seen during the transition from brick-and-mortar to online travel agencies, but knows the company is well equipped to evolve with those challenges.
“Our intention is to be the leader in making that change happen.”
Thanks to its forward-looking approach, Momentum Ventures has emerged not just as a significant player in the global travel industry but as a force driving human connection and technological innovation.
As Canadians rekindle their passion for exploration, the company stands ready to empower modern travellers by reshaping their travel experience and paving the way for a future where connectivity means much more than just a video call.
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