Bengaluru-based traveltech startup Onto has launched its services after raising $1 million (approximately Rs 9.5 crore) in a pre-seed funding round led by Stargazer Fund and co-led by Singapore-based White Venture Capital.
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The startup said it will use the funding to expand operations, strengthen its technology infrastructure and develop new products as it works towards building an AI-powered travel platform.
Founded by former Groww professionals Jagdeep Singh and Shubham Goyal, Onto focuses on hotel bookings, with a service designed to help travellers benefit from price reductions after making a reservation.
Its first offering, Price Drop Refund, monitors hotel rates after booking and automatically arranges a refund of the difference when an eligible reservation can be rebooked at a lower price.
According to the startup, the system looks for cheaper rates for the same hotel, room type and travel dates. Refunds depend on the availability of a suitable lower-priced room and the booking’s cancellation conditions. Non-refundable reservations are excluded from price-drop tracking.
The service also supports eligible hotel bookings made through other platforms. Travellers can upload existing booking confirmations to Onto for price monitoring.
The startup said refunds will be returned to the original payment method, while customers will receive updates about price changes and refunds through WhatsApp and app notifications.
Jagdeep Singh, co-founder of Onto, said the company wanted to address what it sees as a gap in customer support after travel bookings are completed.
“The travel industry is built around transactions, so the moment you pay, everyone stops caring. We started Onto to be the platform that stays on your side after you book. Today, that means refunding you when your hotel’s price drops, wherever you booked it. Tomorrow, it means looking after your entire trip, bringing every booking into one place, and using AI to show you only what matters to you, and why,” he said.
Onto reported more than 2,000 app downloads before its official launch. Its early data also indicated price changes on nearly all hotel bookings, although the number of reservations analysed was not disclosed.
Shubham Goyal, co-founder of Onto, said the company’s technology was designed to handle the complexities of monitoring hotel reservations across different platforms.
“A customer-first platform has technology at its core. The systems should take the complexity away from the user. Refunding the difference when a price drops sounds simple. Doing it for every booking, including ones made elsewhere, means building a system that can recognise any hotel booking, understand it, watch it, and act on your behalf without you lifting a finger,” Goyal said.
Onto has integrated with multiple hotel suppliers to offer accommodation bookings across India and international destinations.
The startup plans to expand beyond hotel reservations and is developing AI-based features that would use travellers’ preferences and previous travel behaviour to suggest relevant options.
The planned features will also explain the reasoning behind personalised recommendations, helping travellers assess their options and make their own decisions.
