HiJiffy, a Vidigueira, Portugal-based company specializing in conversational Artificial Intelligence (AI) for hotels, has secured €3.8 million in funding, bringing its total raised to €6.2 million
The round was led by Caixa Capital, with participation from Lince Capital and Portugal Ventures, with Portugal Ventures having previously invested in HiJiffy in 2020.
The company aims to strengthen its presence in the UK and France and expand into the DACH region (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland).
In addition to the investment from venture capital firms, HiJiffy received €1.3 million from the European Commission as part of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP).
Alongside the funding announcement, HiJiffy unveiled a brand evolution, marking a new era for the company. Since its establishment in 2016, the company aims to reinforce its presence in the British and French markets and become a leading provider of digitization and automation solutions for hotel-guest interactions.
The successful funding round will enable HiJiffy to expand its team from 30 to more than 50 employees, as well as launch a new product that promises to revolutionize the way hotels interact with their guests. “Having the United Kingdom, France, Portugal, and Spain as our main markets, we currently have over 1,800 hotels in more than 50 countries,” explains Tiago Araújo, CEO of HiJiffy.
Company: HIJIFFY, S.A.
Raised: €3.8M
Round: Unknown
Funding Month: June 2023
Lead Investors: Caixa Capital
Additional Investors: Lince Capital and Portugal Ventures
Company Website: https://www.hijiffy.com/
Software Category: Communication Platform
About the Company: Founded in 2016, with the mission of developing the most advanced conversational AI for hospitality. Seeking the perfect connection between hotels and their guests, HiJiffy created a Guest Communications Hub. Powered by its proprietary AI, Aplysia OS, across the full guest journey, HiJiffy allows hoteliers to increase revenue from direct bookings and upselling while automating repetitive tasks to reduce operating costs and mitigate staff shortages. With the headquarters based in Vidigueira, HiJiffy has offices in Lisbon, Barcelona, London, and Paris.
Source: https://www.eu-startups.com/2023/06/lisbon-based-hijiffy-raises-e3-8-million-to-expand-its-conversational-ai-for-hotels-to-dach-region/