A mom and son with tech roots at the University of Washington launch trip-mapping startup
When I was looking for hotels for a volleyball tournament earlier this year, I had no problem finding information on accommodation prices, ratings, and availability. What I need to know is how long it will take to drive to and from the venue over the long weekend.
Seattle startups Life has this information and has just launched a platform for public use.
Viata allows users to enter the city they are visiting, travel locations and destinations, then generates a map marking potential hotel options and travel times between accommodations and locations. Users can choose whether they want to travel by car, public transportation, bicycle or walking.
Ken AragonViata’s co-founder and CEO says this is an important but difficult parameter to research when choosing a hotel.
“When you’re looking for a hotel, you can’t understand, ‘How does this hotel fit into my trip?'” Aragon said.
In my case, I ended up poking around on Google Maps and pasting in game venues and multiple hotel options to answer this question.
Aragon founded Viata with his mother last year. Cecilia Aragon. The two have strong ties to the University of Washington. Ken holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the university, and Cecilia is a professor in the Department of Human-Centered Design and Engineering at the University of Washington.
Professor Aragon developed map visualization tools in her laboratory and she holds two patents and two publications covering this work. The company is seeking an exclusive license to use the technology.
The startup’s founders initially considered using mapping technology for real estate listings, then realized the potential of travel insights and made the switch. Ken Aragon explains that travelers often prioritize finding the cheapest hotel, but taxi and other travel costs can add up if it’s further from their points of interest.
“We want to make it visual so they can really easily see the hidden costs in transportation and avoid making bad decisions,” he said.
The startup recently received a $100,000 grant from the Washington Research Foundation to help commercialize the technology.
Viata is partnering with Seattle-based travel giant Expedia and adding its 500,000 hotels worldwide to the platform. The startup will make money through a revenue-sharing model when users book through partner sites like Expedia or Hotels.com. The team plans to raise a pre-seed round of funding in the near future.
Viata is working in the CoMotion Labs technology incubator in Startup Hall on the University of Washington campus. Ken Aragon said the incubator has been a big help in finding customers and connecting with investors.
Other team members of the startup are Chingis TorobekovChief Product Officer, University of Washington MBA graduate, founding engineer Eli Goldberg.
corporate advisor is Doreen Razaanwho spent nearly a decade leading product and marketing at Expedia, as well as Ryan Leean entrepreneur who founded the commerce platform Nautical Commerce.
Aragon said he enjoys working with his mother, who is also a technical expert at the company.
“One of the most critical factors for a co-founder is trust, right?” Aragon said. “When you actually know your co-founder their whole life, that foundation is as rock solid as it can be.”
2024-12-03 17:07:00