Barcelona: The VrTech competition, which celebrates the latest innovations in the global vacation rental technology sector, has announced the shortlist of start-ups that have reached the first round of voting.
Voting is now open to the public for the category at the annual awards until 31 July.
VrTech, which is sponsored by leading channel manager solution, Rentals United and Howzat Partners, is in its third consecutive year.
Vanessa de Souza Lage, the founder of the competition and CMO of Rentals United, said: โThe competition aims to give the most innovative young start-ups in the vacation rental industry the limelight they deserve and to celebrate the creativity and bright minds that the vacation rental industry has attracted in recent years. Our industry continues to transform and grow at a phenomenal rate, and itโs exciting to see all the start-ups developing solutions for the ecosystem.โ
The short-list includes Operto, B2Book, iGMS, Edgar Smart Concierge, Cohosting, Trips Community Mi Casa es Tu Casa, Have You Got, Padlifter, Rabbu, Bookipro, Keesy, Modosmart, CheKin, StayInc, Key Data, MyCierge, Vrolio, Autohost and Check-in Scan.
After the public voting has taken place, the shortlisted start-ups will go before a judging panel of industry leaders before culminating in a final pitch at Octoberโs Vacation Rental World Summit in Lake Como.
Last yearโs winner of the VrTech Start-Up awards was UK-based Stasher Luggage, who fought off competition from Roomonitorโs noise control software and Swiklyโs security deposit software in the final round. Stasherโs luggage storage network now spans across 160 cities across four continents, a significant increase since they were awarded the top VrTech prize last October.
The public is encouraged to vote online for their preferred start-up. Full details can be found here.