In a tech startup landscape consumed by AI hype and questioning the value of ESG, Travalytics is swimming against the tide and launching a climate-focused startup. Travalytics was supported by EIT Urban Mobility, an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union.
Travalytics is about one thing: giving organisations the insights they need on travel to and from their sites so that they can make a difference. Because no matter how much we want to rush in and “do” something about sustainability, nothing meaningful happens without proper data.
“We probably picked the least sexy problem imaginable,” says Anna Stankovski Clark, Travalytics co-founder and applied mathematician with 20 years in sustainable transport. “But it’s really an important one.”
What’s counted counts
Despite the climate urgency, there’s a massive data gap when it comes to passenger transport, despite the fact that 18% of Sweden’s emissions come from passenger car transport alone. And while data may seem abundant, it’s often patchy, biased, or irrelevant. “We keep measuring what’s easy – car traffic – and know little about the rest,” says Anna. “Take cycling: municipalities sometimes rely on Strava data to understand cyclists. That’s like using marathon results to plan school gym class.”
When companies run cycle-to-work campaigns or implement travel policies without checking their baseline or measuring long-term impact, the results are often short-lived. “Everyone thinks they know transport, because everyone travels,” says Anna. “But assumptions and anecdotes aren’t data, and in the end you won’t make a difference without it.”
Travalytics: objective data, done right
What makes Travalytics different? The company provides organisations with objective, actionable data on how people travel to and from their sites. The idea is simple but powerful: you can’t change what you don’t measure.
“We don’t advertise Travalytics as an AI company because frankly, that feels like a gimmick now,” says Michal Stypa, CTO and co-founder. “But yes, we use machine learning – it’s just part of the toolbox, not the headline.”
Beyond reducing climate emissions, sustainable transport also brings other benefits to organisations that work with it – including improved health through active mobility, reduced congestion, better parking solutions and reduced costs for organisations. With Travalytics data, these can be quantified and tracked over time.
Built in Europe’s innovation ecosystem
Travalytics started as an innovation project co-funded by EIT Urban Mobility and Drive Sweden, both of which recognised the strategic value of tackling everyday transport. The project included collaboration with Tetra Pak as pilot site and the Danish Society for Engineers (IDA) who brought valuable contribution to the early development.
“We see ourselves as an impact investor who can help innovations get off the ground. We saw potential with Travalytics at an early stage, and we look forward to seeing how they can make a difference to support more sustainable mobility in Europe and across the world by empowering organisations to measure and reduce the environmental impact of commuting through smart, privacy-respecting travel data and actionable insights,” says Adriana Diaz, Innovation Director at EIT Urban Mobility.
After spinning out the results of the project from the companies Trivector Traffic and Backtick Technologies (leading Swedish consultants in sustainable transport and software development respectively), Travalytics has also received support from the southern Sweden innovation system, including a place at the Helsingborg based Hetch incubator.
What’s next
The focus is still to make the biggest impact possible. “We want to help as many organisations as possible work in a data-driven way with travel and commuting,” says Anna. “If we as a society are serious about reaching climate targets, this can’t be a blind spot anymore.”
Travalytics pricing includes a freemium variant to help you get going and is currently welcoming new partners, clients, and collaborators.
