SmartRyde, a Tokyo-based marketplace for airport transfer services, has raised US$1.6 million in a Series A round led by Angel Bridge.
Other investors included SG Incubate, Yamaguchi Capital, SMBC Venture Capital, Hiroshima Venture Capital, Iyogin Capital, Inventum Ventures, serial entrepreneur Shouji Kodama, Nobuaki Takahashi and Optima Ventures.
Founded in 2017, SmartRyde connects local transportation operators to OTAs, allowing travellers to book airport transfers at the same time that they book airline tickets and hotels. The company has collaborated with more than 650 transportation operators and over 25 OTAs, including Booking.com, Expedia, Trip.com, Traveloka and Despegar.
SmartRyde CEO Sota Kimura said that the company will use the funding to strengthen system integration with OTAs, build a booking management system for transportation operators, and promote digital transformation.
