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海擇短評 Haize Comment：
協助創業家將舊時代的旅遊出版品、用新時代的模式變現，似乎是每個旅遊投資人或旅遊戰略投資部門的不變夢想之一。舊的例子是Lonely Planet，最近的新例子是LOST iN(Tripadvisor還不算)。近期收購德國旅遊出版商"LOST iN"的"創業者"，向資本方取得了400萬美元的種子輪融資，領投的是MaC Venture Capital，跟投方除了BDMI與Pitbull Ventures，還有一些帶有媒體背景的資本公司。
在德國創立的旅遊媒體"LOST iN"在業界一直是頗被叫好的出版品，論內容的細緻程度，比Lonely Planet有過之而無不及。公司的定位是精心策劃的旅遊指南，旨在為旅行者提供沉浸式與真實的本地體驗；相較於一般的攻略，其內容更強調協助旅行者像當地人一樣探索城市，包括私藏的景點、本地人偏愛的餐飲/活動、獨特的文化見解，而非介紹典型的旅遊景點。LOST iN的目標客戶群是年輕且精通網路的旅行者，他們尋求"優質經濟(premium economy)"的機會，亦即能兼顧冒險與舒適的旅遊體驗。不過，顯然這些願意為優質經濟買單的客群不願意為LOST iN買單，所以公司才以被收購畫下句號。
那麼，下個問題是，誰收購了LOST iN？收購LOST iN的"創業者"Jonathan Skogmo其實小有名氣。Jonathan曾是美國熱門社群影片網站Jukin Media的創始人兼CEO，該公司在2021年轉售給"讀者文摘"品牌的母公司Trusted Media Brands，雖然金額未公開，但轉售時該公司已發展到擁有250多名員工，並在洛杉磯、紐約、倫敦和新德里設有辦事處。
考慮到LOST iN的官方現在只是一個單純販售數位出版品的網站，海擇資本只能從Jonathan的說明來判斷他想做什麼。Jonathan認為，當前旅遊媒體的特點是幾乎沒有值得信賴的聲音，而通過收購LOST iN，Jonathan取得了25個國家的旅遊內容，這些內容各自對應了50個國家/地區的語言與版權，他會以這25個國家的內容為基礎，識別才華橫溢的數位旅遊影片內容創作者並與之合作，吸引旅遊領域的廣告商。從商業模式看，是以活動、會員制、廣告業務為收入來源，建立旅遊受眾、創作者(或者我們說UP主)和廣告商的三贏模式。
海擇資本認為，看起來"新"LOST iN想做的是旅遊細分市場的Youtube，而原有的LOST iN版權與內容物只是"新"LOST iN中非常小且非常基礎的一部分。這是不是能做得好？我們不知道，但很期待！
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Assisting entrepreneurs in monetizing traditional travel publications through new-era models appears to be a consistent dream for every travel investor or strategic investment division in tourism. A classic example is Lonely Planet, with a more recent one being LOST iN. The entrepreneur who recently acquired the German travel publisher "LOST iN" secured $4 million in seed funding led by MaC Venture Capital. Co-investors include BDMI and Pitbull Ventures, along with several media-backed capital firms.
The German-founded travel media "LOST iN" has been well-regarded within the industry, often considered more detailed in content than Lonely Planet. The company positions itself as offering meticulously curated travel guides aimed at providing travelers with immersive and authentic local experiences. Unlike typical travel guides, its content emphasizes exploring cities like a local, featuring hidden spots, local favorites in dining/activities, and unique cultural insights, rather than typical tourist attractions. LOST iN targets young, internet-savvy travelers looking for "premium economy" opportunities, which balance adventure with comfort. However, it appears that the customer base willing to pay for premium experiences was not willing to pay for LOST iN, leading to the company being sold.
So, who acquired LOST iN? The entrepreneur Jonathan Skogmo, known for his role as the founder and CEO of the popular American social video website Jukin Media, is the buyer. Jukin Media was sold in 2021 to Trusted Media Brands, the parent company of "Reader's Digest," although the sale price was undisclosed. At the time of sale, the company had over 250 employees with offices in Los Angeles, New York, London, and New Delhi.
Considering that LOST iN's official site now merely sells digital publications, insights into Jonathan's intentions come from his own statements. He believes the current travel media lacks credible voices, and by acquiring LOST iN, he has obtained travel content from 25 countries, corresponding to the languages and copyrights of 50 nations/regions. He plans to use this content as a foundation to collaborate with talented digital travel video creators to attract advertisers in the travel sector. The business model will source revenue from events, subscriptions, and advertising, aiming to create a tripartite win among travelers, creators, and advertisers.
Haize Capital suggests that the "new" LOST iN aims to become the YouTube of the travel niche, with the original LOST iN’s copyrights and contents forming a very small and fundamental part of the "new" LOST iN. Will it succeed? We don't know yet, but we are looking forward to it!
標籤 Label： Travel Media Publish Youtube Investment