Irish startup Roamr has secured $2.3 million in a pre-seed extension round to accelerate its mission to reshape the corporate travel landscape. The funding round, backed by a mix of influential repeat investors, including Gym+Coffee backer Mike Halpin, former Meta Ireland MD Rick Kelley, and ex-Shopify International chairman John Riordan, underscores growing confidence in the startup’s bold vision. roamr corporate travel tech

Founded in 2023 by Stephen Dooley and Jason O’Gorman, Roamr is positioning itself as a disruptive force in corporate travel tech, offering a fundamentally different approach: rather than spending on hotels, companies pay employees who host their colleagues. Roamr cuts corporate travel costs by 30% by rewarding employees rather than hotels, the company said. Roamr’s platform enables a peer-to-peer accommodation model within organizations, turning business trips into cost-sharing opportunities and empowering employees to share in the savings.

Via a release on their website, Roamr has stated the next phase of their plan for strategic growth will include a US expansion that will deepen their presence in one of the world’s largest travel markets, a commitment to the further development of key partnerships, product development, and enterprise onboarding, which is a period of building on early traction with public companies.

A New Model for Business Travel

The company’s approach is part of a wider trend in post-pandemic work culture, where cost efficiency, flexibility, and sustainability are becoming major priorities for employers. Roamr’s model doesn’t just save money — it also fosters internal community, reduces travel emissions, and enhances employee autonomy.

The fresh capital will fuel Roamr’s strategic growth, including

• Expanding into the US, one of the world’s most lucrative and influential travel markets.
• Enterprise onboarding, with a focus on public companies that are rethinking their travel policies.
• Continued product development to refine its platform and improve scalability.
• Strengthening key partnerships within the travel and SaaS ecosystems.

The platform explained that its plans have changed since its oversubscribed funding round, stating, “Our early traction with forward-thinking companies, including our first public company deal in the US, sparked interest in taking the next step sooner than planned.

“Our original plan was to raise in late 2025, but momentum from existing investors, usage across more than 100 countries and pilots with global teams fast-tracked that timeline​. To our investors, early adopters and the team making this possible, thank you.”

Travel SaaS in the Spotlight

Roamr’s rise comes at a time when travel-focused SaaS platforms are seeing a surge in investment and interest. The travel tech sector, particularly platforms that support distributed teams and enhance trip efficiency, has been expanding rapidly since COVID-19 reshaped both travel and work. roamr corporate travel tech

This isn’t the only Irish startup gaining traction in the space. In late 2024, SoloBook, another Dublin-based platform co-founded by Pierre Yimbog, made headlines for its AI-powered, community-led solution that helps solo travellers safely plan and book their trips.

Together, platforms like Roamr and SoloBook are proving that Ireland’s startup ecosystem is poised to punch above its weight in travel tech innovation. As Roamr eyes the US market and deepens its enterprise relationships, it might well become a flagship example of how smart SaaS can make business travel more human, sustainable, and cost-effective.