TLDR: PassiveBolt and Replyr.ai have been awarded the Global Startup Pitch People’s Choice Awards at WiT Singapore 2025: The Next 20. Replyr.ai won in the Seedup category for its WhatsApp AI agents, while PassiveBolt took the Scaleup award. Both companies will advance to showcase their innovations at The Phocuswright Conference in San Diego in November.
Singapore, October 8, 2025 – The travel technology landscape witnessed the recognition of two innovative startups, PassiveBolt and Replyr.ai, as they clinched the coveted Global Startup Pitch People’s Choice Awards at the WiT Singapore 2025: The Next 20 event. The awards, determined by audience votes, celebrate the most impactful Seedup and Scaleup companies globally, highlighting their potential to reshape the travel industry.
Replyr.ai emerged victorious in the Seedup category, with its founder and CEO, Dylan Tan, expressing profound validation for their work. Tan stated, “Winning the People’s Choice Award at Web In Travel’s Global Startup Pitch is a big validation for us. Travel chatbots are broken—they’re not on WhatsApp, can’t integrate to hotel tools and can’t do stuff for guests. I’m excited for our WhatsApp AI agents to serve more properties, helping them drive incremental booking & ancillary revenue.” This quote underscores Replyr.ai’s focus on leveraging artificial intelligence to address current limitations in travel communication and guest services.
In the Scaleup category, PassiveBolt, under the leadership of CEO Kabir Maiga, secured the People’s Choice Award. Both companies had previously competed at the Grand Finals held at Phocuswright Europe in June, where they were selected among a strong field of contenders. Other notable finalists in the Seedup category included ImpersonAlly, Kijani Supplies, and Levee, while Buzz, Loyalty Status Co., and Me Protocol competed in the Scaleup category.
The Global Startup Pitch competition, now in its fourth year, is a collaborative effort by WiT, Phocuswright, and PhocusWire. The initiative is further bolstered by the support of American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT), a strategic partner dedicated to fostering innovation in the travel sector.
This recognition at WiT Singapore serves as a significant stepping stone for both PassiveBolt and Replyr.ai. They will now have the opportunity to present their groundbreaking solutions on a global platform at The Phocuswright Conference, scheduled to take place in San Diego from November 18-20. This conference gathers influential leaders and innovators, providing a crucial stage for these startups to further their impact on the future of travel.
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The prevalence of artificial intelligence in these innovative solutions was a recurring theme throughout the competition. Michael Coletta, Phocuswright’s senior manager of research and innovation, observed at the Phocuswright Europe event that ‘AI was on full display,’ with ‘multiple references to Model Context Protocol,’ indicating a strong trend towards AI-driven development in the startup community.
