Sky’s the limit for Sydney travel auction startup

A Sydney startup is looking to tap into everyone’s inner travel bug by giving Australians the opportunity to bid on cheap flights and travel vouchers.

Skybid was launched in October last year by 26-year-old entrepreneur Karis Confos. Users register for free and every time they bid on an auction the price increases by one cent.

Confos told StartupSmart the aim is to disrupt the “stock standard” approach of travel agents and allow consumers to spend more money at their travel destination rather than getting there in the first place.

“Australia is a particularly great market for what Skybid offers because it’s a nation full of people who love to travel – it’s a very Australian thing,” she says.

“But travel is very expensive here. Nationally, people are always looking for deals and bargains, and we’re very tech-savvy.”

While she would not disclose exactly how many users Skybid has at this stage, Confos says they number “in the thousands”.

“The challenge is developing that traffic and marketing – that was and still is definitely a challenge,” she says.

“But so far I have been very pleased with the results. We have some great customers and raving fans, and their support and willingness to support us has been the foundation of our success so far, which has been very, very humbling.”

Confos is working on the startup full-time and is seeking seed funding in order to grow the customer base and ramp-up her marketing efforts.

“I’ve done a lot of travelling over the years – including a 12 month trip to Europe – and thought now’s the time to start a business and give it a crack while I don’t have those obligations,” she says.

“If I fail young it’s a good time, or if I succeed it’s a better option. There is a great startup ecosystem here – but I do wish it was nurtured better by those in better positions.”

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