OpenAI acquires an AI travel start-up called Odessia
What's the story
OpenAI has acquired Odessia, an AI travel agent founded by Sonder founder Francis Davidson. Davidson announced the deal in a post, saying he is now working for OpenAI to shape the future of travel. The financial details of the acquisition have not been disclosed yet. However, it appears to be more of an "acqui-hire," where a company buys another primarily for its talent rather than its products or services.
Entrepreneurial path
Odessia raised $6M in a pre-seed round
Davidson's announcement emphasized his journey of building the AI travel agent, Odessia, by leading teams of AI agents.
The start-up raised $6 million in a pre-seed round led by Sequoia and launched its AI travel agent about five months ago.
Davidson said that early adopters had used the tool to plan millions of dollars worth of travel, but it has since been discontinued.
Market focus
OpenAI has partnerships with travel companies
Although OpenAI has not confirmed the acquisition or announced any new travel-specific products, it does have partnerships with companies like Bookings.com, Expedia, and KAYAK.
The travel sector is a major area where people use personal AI assistants.
When it launched its ChatGPT agent in July 2025, OpenAI had also mentioned travel as one of its potential applications.
Start-up history
Davidson previously founded Sonder, a travel start-up
Before founding Odessia, Davidson had started Sonder, a travel start-up, as a college student in 2014.
The company was similar to Airbnb but focused on renting out high-end apartments in popular cities around the world.
However, it struggled during the pandemic and went public via a SPAC but failed to raise enough money. Davidson resigned as CEO in June 2025.
After Sonder's bankruptcy, the company wound down due to a failed partnership with Marriott.