Odessia, an AI travel-assistant startup, is reported to have been acquired by OpenAI, based on founder Francis Davidson’s announcement that he has joined the company.
OpenAI has not confirmed the deal or announced travel-specific product plans; the terms remain undisclosed.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The publication estimates that the agreement mainly concerns the hiring of Davidson, but this has not been announced as an official term.
What do we know about Odessia?
Odessia was founded about a year before publication and raised $6 million in seed funding, led by Sequoia. Its travel assistant was launched about five months before publication. The company has since ceased operations.
Davidson said the tool had helped early users plan trips worth millions of dollars.
OpenAI has not announced any new products or plans specifically for travel. Bookings.com, Expedia, and KAYAK are listed as clients or partners. In July 2025, when it unveiled its ChatGPT agent digital assistant, OpenAI mentioned travel as one potential use case.
Davidson's previous company
Davidson founded the accommodation company Sonder in 2014 while he was a student. Sonder rented out high-end furnished apartments in major cities around the world.
↳
READ ALSO
HACKS.GR / RELATED
AI Unlocked
New $27,5 million investment fund for artificial intelligence-powered drugs
↗
The pandemic hit the company hard. It later went public, but, according to Davidson, it didn’t raise enough money. After a key partnership with Marriott fell through, Sonder went bankrupt and ceased operations. Before its collapse, it had $143 million in revenue.
In 2026, the bankruptcy trustee sold the Sonder name, trademarks, and website to TravelAI. The website now serves as a curated guide to accommodations of the type Sonder previously offered.
OpenAI has not announced whether it is planning travel services, nor did it respond to TechCrunch's request for comment.
>Stay connected with Hacks.gr
Set us as a preferred source on Google and find us on social media.
Preferred source
↗
end of article
