Shilv Technology Closes 100 Million Yuan Series A to Build AI-Powered Next-Gen Travel Platform

Recently, Vtrip Technology officially announced the completion of its Series A funding round, with investors including Shenzhen Media & Yiben Fund, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Cultural Industry Investment Fund (under Guangzhou City Investment Group), Gaorong Ventures, Youshan Capital, and Zhonghu Yakang, the investment arm of Yakang. The total financing exceeded RMB 100 million.

Founded in November 2021, Vtrip Technology is an AI-driven travel product internet company co-founded by Li Shaohua, former Alibaba vice president and founder of Fliggy. Shortly after its establishment, it secured over RMB 100 million in angel funding from Gaorong Ventures, K2VC, and other investors.

China's First Travel Large Language Model Launching AI-Native Travel Products

The Vtrip Technology team focuses on building an "AI-driven next-generation travel platform." In May 2023, it released VtripGPT, China's first large language model for the travel sector. By March 2024, VtripGPT became the first travel industry LLM to pass the regulatory review and filing process with the Cyberspace Administration of China and other relevant authorities.

In terms of practical applications, VtripGPT-powered AI-native travel products and end-to-end destination intelligent operation systems now cover more than ten domestic and international destinations, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Sichuan, and Yunnan.

Vtrip Technology provides Gen Z consumers with full-journey, personalized destination-based travel experiences. The company expects to serve over 3 million users this year, with Hong Kong and Sichuan each exceeding 500,000 visitors.

VtripGPT Travel Large Language Model Applications

Talent and Innovation as Twin Engines Exploring New Possibilities in AI + Travel

The application of AI technology represents a paradigmatic example of new quality productive forces in the travel industry. To capture this opportunity, Vtrip Technology has assembled a top-tier hybrid "AI + Travel" entrepreneurial team. Dr. Hui Pengrui, co-founder and CTO, previously served as a senior AI technical expert at Alibaba, where he built Fliggy's earlier-generation big data and AI application infrastructure and pioneered innovative products such as "credit stay" for hotels. The core team also includes seasoned business and technical experts from leading internet companies. The company completed its overseas corporate structure and team setup by the end of 2023.

Vtrip's LLM Core Team (from left to right: CTO Hui Pengrui, CEO Li Shaohua, VP of Technical Product Liu Runchen, AI LLM R&D Lead Chen Xia)

Driven by its "talent + innovation" dual-wheel strategy, Vtrip Technology has steadily advanced in the "AI + Travel" track, earning recognition including the national grand prize in the Ascend AI Innovation Competition and a spot in the "Greater Bay Area Top 10 AIGC Cultural Enterprises by Capital Attention."

Scaling Up VtripGPT R&D Expanding to More Destinations

Li Shaohua, co-founder and CEO of Vtrip Technology, stated: "Completing our Series A is a critical milestone for Vtrip Technology. We will continue to accelerate the full-scale R&D and upgrade of the VtripGPT travel large language model, and speed up large-scale commercial deployment across core travel industry scenarios and high-quality destinations."

Shuo Hu, partner at Gaorong Ventures, commented: "How to improve supply-demand matching efficiency in travel — a trillion-RMB industry — has been a long-standing question. We're pleased to back this highly entrepreneurial team as they passionately explore using AI technology to directly connect supply and demand. Vtrip has already closed the loop on product, fulfillment, and commercial validation in select destinations, and we look forward to seeing them expand to more destinations and reshape how people experience travel."