Mobissimo

Mobissimo operated as a travel metasearch engine, providing consumers with a platform to compare prices for flights, hotels, and car rentals. Founded in 2003 by Beatrice Tarka, Lucia Carniglia, and Svetlozar Nestorov, the San Francisco-based company aimed to simplify travel planning by aggregating data from numerous sources. Co-founder Svetlozar Nestorov, a Stanford graduate, applied his knowledge in data-mining and information extraction to the venture. The company secured $1 million in a seed funding round on September 29, 2005, with investors including Benhamou Global Ventures, Cambrian Ventures, and Index Ventures.

The core of Mobissimo's business was its fare aggregator technology. The platform searched over 180 online travel agencies, consolidators, and ticket vendors to present users with a side-by-side comparison of available deals. Its business model was based on lead generation; after a user selected a deal, they were redirected to the provider's website to complete the booking, and Mobissimo would earn a commission for the referral. The service was available through country-specific websites catering to markets in North America, Europe, and Asia, including Brazil, Mexico, France, Germany, the UK, India, and Japan. A significant milestone was the launch of its China-focused site in 2011, which integrated local travel agencies and airlines like Ctrip and Air China. While the company was once cited as a leading travel search engine, it is now considered inactive.

Keywords: travel metasearch, flight comparison, hotel booking, car rental deals, online travel agency, fare aggregator, travel technology, Svetlozar Nestorov, Beatrice Tarka, Lucia Carniglia, lead generation, travel search engine, price comparison, online booking, travel deals, international travel, airline tickets, hotel prices, rental car search