The past decade saw an exponential rise in technology advances that led to a new age of data. In fact, many experts estimate that a majority of the world’s online information was created in the past few years alone. This surplus of intelligence and information has revolutionized industries and made new types of businesses possible.
Seattle startup Qalendra wants to use that omnipresent data to venture into an already crowded industry — travel planning. CEO Cristian Munteanu says “In 2014, half a billion people visited TripAdvisor and planned their trips relying on that content, but reviews are unreliable, ratings are too subjective and recommendations are often contradictory. Besides, content is static and does not reflect the changes that may have appeared in the meantime. At Qalendra, we believe that just as many people would plan their trip based on data.”
Qalendra looks for data on climate, terrain, facilities, traffic, prices and various other sources to create predictive analytics for travellers. Munteanu aims the initiative towards adventure sports enthusiasts.
In simple words, Qalendra tells a user where the best conditions for any sport, activity or vacation are around the world, up to a year in advance. The results are instant and can be viewed on any device.
Munteanu and his team first got the inspiration for Qalendra when they went for a skydiving trip. He says “ It’s more than the usual hotel checking or flight searching. For example, I was looking at the weather conditions, especially winds and precipitations. Then I needed a hotel with a large covered area that I could use for packing the chute; a hotel as close as possible to the drop zone. And I needed to rent a car large enough to accommodate six skydivers with all their rigs and luggage. All these add up and turn the vacation daydreaming into a full-time job that takes several days.”
Qalendra claims that the best move they ever did was to move to the US. They are currently aiming at perfecting their technologies to address the massive travel industry of the world. Like any successful startup, Qalendra believes in hiring young recruits and as little as possible.
You can read the original story on Geekwire.
