Folio named one of PhocusWire’s “Hot 25 Travel Startups” for 2027 Amid Rapid Expansion, Adoption and AI Innovation

DURHAM, N.C. — Folio, an award-winning financial operations platform purpose-built for hospitality, today announced that it has been named one of PhocusWire’s Hot 25 Travel Startups for 2027, an annual recognition honoring emerging companies poised to make a significant impact on the global travel and hospitality industry.

Founded in 2023, Folio has rapidly established itself as an innovator in hospitality financial operations, helping hotel owners, operators and management companies streamline a range of back-office operations through their all-in-one platform: procurement, inventory management, invoice processing, payments and expense management. Folio is on track to support more than 1,000 hotels and $1.5 billion in annual purchasing volume, reflecting growing demand for technology that simplifies workflows, while delivering measurable operational efficiencies and cost savings.

Now in its ninth year, PhocusWire’s Hot 25 Travel Startups list recognizes promising young companies that are driving innovation and shaping the future of travel. Selected by PhocusWire, a leading global travel industry media outlet and sister brand of travel research and events leader Phocuswright, the 2027 honorees represent a diverse group of emerging businesses demonstrating the potential to transform their respective sectors.

Being recognized among PhocusWire’s Hot 25 Travel Startups is an exciting milestone for Folio and a testament to the incredible team, customers and partners who have helped us build a better way to manage hospitality financial operations. From the beginning, our mission has been to make excellent hospitality effortless. We believe the best technology removes complexity from everyday operations, giving hospitality teams more time to focus on their people, their properties and guest experiences. This recognition reinforces our commitment to solving real challenges for operators and delivering meaningful value as we continue to grow. Kate Adamson, CEO and co-founder of Folio

Folio's integrated platform brings together five core solutions: Folio Buy for centralized, managed procurement; Folio Inventory for fast counting and asset accounting; Folio Bills for AI-driven invoice processing; Folio Pay for streamlined payments via virtual card, check and ACH; and Folio Expense for P-cards and corporate cards purpose-built for hospitality. By connecting traditionally fragmented financial processes in a single platform, Folio helps hospitality organizations gain greater visibility and control over spending, reduce administrative burdens and improve financial performance across their portfolios.

Looking ahead to 2027, Folio plans to build on its momentum by expanding its agentic capabilities, enabling its platform to become increasingly autonomous, intelligent and capable of executing more complex financial workflows on behalf of users. The company also sees opportunities to bring its hospitality-developed technology to a broader range of service-oriented businesses that share similar operational challenges, and expand internationally.

“Our focus for 2027 remains delivering the greatest possible savings and value to our customers while continuing to invest in the next generation of intelligent financial operations,” Adamson added. “We see tremendous potential for agentic technology to make Folio even more helpful and proactive, empowering operators to accomplish more with less manual effort. At the same time, we know sustainable growth starts with learning from our customers, investing in reliable connectivity and developing solutions that people (not just robots) genuinely want to use. Those principles will continue to guide us as we scale.”

The Hot 25 Travel Startups for 2027 list was published Nov. 9, ahead of The Phocuswright Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. To learn more about the recognition, please click here.

Media Contact

Andrea Mane

SVP, Strategic Marketing [email protected]