US-based smart luggage manufacturer Bluesmart received $11.5m in series A funding on Wednesday from a consortium of investors featuring Amadeus IT Group, an IT services provider for the tourism sector.
Y Combinator, Cota Capital, Western Technology Investments, Fairheaven Capital, Fenox Ventures, FundersClub, Pejman Mar Ventures and Yunqui Partners also took part in the round, and were joined by a range of angel investors.
Bluesmart has developed smart luggage and an accompanying smartphone app that enables a user to track their bags worldwide, lock them and calculate their weight. The technology also provides a proximity alert and travel itineraries, while the bag includes a phone charger.
The series A capital will support the commercial launch of Bluesmart’s products and the acceleration of production, as well as branding, research and development.
The round follows a crowdfunding campaign that resulted in $2.2m for Bluesmart and 15,000 pre-orders for its product. Those pre-orders are expected to be shipped by the end of 2015.
– Image courtesy of Bluesmart