Travel firm Fora has revealed a $60 million Series D funding round led by Forerunner and Tactile Ventures, bringing the company’s valuation to $1 billion. 

Founded in 2021, Fora operates as a two-faceted platform: it enables individuals to become travel agents by offering the necessary framework for client interactions and travel arrangements; it also allows users to connect with advisors while planning trips for events like weddings or family vacations to places like Costa Rica or Thailand. Other participants in this funding round include Insight Partners and Thrive Capital. The company reported it has secured a total of $138.5 million in funding so far. 

A portion of the newly acquired funds will be allocated to enhancing Fora’s AI assistant, Via, which aids travel agents on its platform with labor-intensive administrative responsibilities like research and itinerary creation. The intention is for the human agents utilizing the platform to dedicate more time to developing client relationships, with the goal of ensuring that Fora’s AI boosts human efficiency instead of seeking to replace it. 

Fora indicated that since its inception, agents using the platform have arranged over $3 billion in travel bookings, with a significant number of its agent users being newcomers to the travel advisory field. The firm also aims to utilize the funds to recruit and expand into additional travel segments, including cruises and air travel. 

This article was amended to rectify the spelling of Fora’s name in the final paragraph.