Over two days, 10 trailblazing startups and scale-ups will pitch their innovations to a panel of expert judges and a live audience of corporate travel buyers, bookers and decision-makers. Each finalist has just seven minutes to convince the crowd and the judges that their solution is ready to reshape the way business travel is planned, booked and managed. 

This is more than just a competition. It’s a showcase of purpose-driven technology and fresh thinking, with each presenter solving real pain points across cost, compliance, sustainability, and traveller experience. 

The Finalist Lineup: Building solutions that matter 

FAREAUDIT 

FareAudit’s President Andrew Menkes and his team are solving the age-old problem of overpayment in corporate travel. Their platform audits bookings against public fares in real time and offers proactive traveller guidance to optimise spend. In partnership with Traxo, FareAudit also captures and analyses direct bookings to help travel managers regain control. As Menkes states, “The value is in knowing what you’re really paying for. “We always get great value from the two days of networking, visiting some of the new players in our industry, and being able to spend time with our clients and friends. The Innovation Faceoff has selected a highly qualified list of finalists, many of whom I’ve known for years and for me the honour is to be among them.” 

PREDICTX 

Data is the bedrock of smart decision-making, and PredictX is leading the charge in AI-driven travel and expense analytics. SVP of Global Sales Simon Woods explains, “Our clean, accurate data enables better sourcing, sustainability, wellbeing, and compliance.” Trusted by major global brands, PredictX blends machine learning with intuitive dashboards and automation to supercharge travel manager productivity. He adds, “Winning would mean validation of the hard work of our team; we invest almost half of our turnover into R&D, and are fortunate to have so many smart, committed and innovative people. Furthermore, I think it sends an important message. Innovation is not only for businesses that are starting up but should be part of the DNA of established businesses too.” 

FRONT 

Front is an AI-powered communications platform that unites contact centre tools, inboxes, and collaboration in one workspace. Built to scale with travel and hospitality businesses, Front empowers teams to deliver faster, personalised service. CEO Dan O'Connell comments, “This award would shine a spotlight on the value we bring to the corporate traveller, and the travel management company, by enhancing their experience throughout their journey. This would also fuel our momentum as we expand our footprint in the travel tech space.” 

ALTOUR 

With global reach and a reputation for service excellence, Altour is using AI to simplify the traveller experience. Their new tool, AI Book, replaces clunky forms and slow emails with instant, conversational bookings that are always policy compliant. “Think of it as a 24/7 VIP travel assistant in your inbox,” says CCO Mike Boult. He adds, “Winning would be a powerful endorsement - not just of our product, but of our people and vision. It would validate our belief that there’s a better way to manage business travel: one that’s faster, smarter, and built around real human needs.” 

PLANNED 

Planned's Head of Marketing Lucie Loubet knows that corporate event sourcing is plagued by fragmentation. Planned eliminates that by bringing real-time internal and external data into one decision-friendly platform. The result? Confidence, consistency, and significant savings. Loubet states, “Business Travel Show Europe will give us an amazing platform to show the European audience who Planned is. Winning the Innovation Faceoff would be a major milestone, validating the impact of the problem we are solving. It would also give our team a huge boost as we continue expanding in Europe.” 

ROAMR 

Roamr helps companies cut hotel costs by paying travellers to stay with friends or colleagues, turning travel into a cultural and financial exchange. With users in over 100 countries, Roamr is building a global network of “hosted” corporate travellers. “This is travel that builds community,” says Founder Stephen Dooley. He adds, “Winning the award would validate to us that the market is ready for the disruption that we’re proposing.” 

THE COZM 

Compliance is often an overlooked complexity, until it causes delays. The Cozm uses AI to automate cross-border tax and visa filings in seconds. It’s fast, scalable, and deeply integrated with HR and travel platforms. “Winning the IFO would validate our mission to modernise modern business travel compliance and global mobility through automation. It would be a huge milestone in our journey to redefine compliance,” says Paul Papacz, The Cozm’s Technology Lead.  

BLOCKSKYE 

Blockskye brings Web3 principles to business travel with a platform built for transparency, control, and user empowerment. Buyers can shop and book however they prefer. Always within policy and always with savings. “We’d love to win for our employees and the customers who believe in this vision,” says Brook Armstrong, Co-CEO & Co-Founder.  

SKYLINK 

SkyLink is your corporate travel agent, built directly into Slack and Teams. CEO Atyab Bhatti explains, “Our conversational AI turns a complex itinerary into a simple chat.” By combining VIP service with enterprise compliance, SkyLink is transforming corporate travel into something as intuitive as sending a message.  “Winning the Innovation Faceoff Award at this year’s Business Travel Show Europe would affirm that the future of business travel is conversational, AI-driven, and traveller-centric, highlighting SkyLink as a key player for that shift.” 

ZENMER 

Zenmer’s “agentic AI” platform, Zenia, is designed to handle everything from multi-lingual bookings to itinerary changes, all via natural conversation. Founder and CEO Nikunj Agrawal says, “We believe travel should be 10x faster, smarter, and more intuitive. “The most exciting part about this year’s Business Travel Show Europe Innovation Faceoff is presenting our technology to industry veterans and get first-hand feedback from potential customers and users. We strongly believe the industry needs more innovation to be seen and used at scale.” 

The award presentation takes place on Thursday 26 June at 12:40pm at the Business Travel Show Europe Knowledge Arena. 

The panel of judges includes some of the most inspiring leaders from across the business travel and travel technology sectors, each bringing sharp insight and real-world experience:   

• Carin Morin, Regional Travel Manager, EMEA – Service Now  
• Bala Chandran, Co-Founder and CEO – Lumo 
• Lenny Hornsby Travel & Travel Technology Manager – Deloitte 
• Karen Hutchings, Founder – Cobb & Hutch Consulting  

Commenting on the awards, Business Travel Show Europe marketing director Jonathan Carter-Chapman said, “The Innovation Faceoff continues to be a show highlight, attracting some of the most innovative talent in travel management technology and service, with previous entrants continuing to push boundaries today.  

“The standard of entrants this year is exceptionally high, and we look forward to welcoming this year’s shortlist of presenters to the stage.” 

Business Travel Show Europe returns to Excel London from 25-26 June 2025. It will unite over 700 qualified buyers and 200 exhibitors for high-level, in-person networking and a premium conference programme.    

Registration is now open. It is free for qualified travel buyers, bookers and managers, procurement professionals and EAs and PAs who book travel for their organisation. To register please visit businesstravelshoweurope.com/register