Valpas has raised a €1.6 million seed funding round from ActivumSG Ventures, TESI, Realty Corporation, and existing investors Maki.vc, Icebreaker.vc, and Reaktor.
Headquartered in Finland, Valpas was founded after every traveler’s worst nightmare: co-founder Martim Gois encountered bed bugs while traveling. Through that experience, he saw how reactive pest control and the extensive use of pesticides fail travelers, hospitality providers, and the planet alike.
Valpas is setting a new standard for bed bug-safe hotels, enabling hotels to guarantee safe, sustainable, bed bug-free stays for their guests. By doing so, travelers can stay with confidence and return home safe, while hotels protect their reputation and operations without relying on pesticides.
Since launching its initial offering, Valpas has partnered with 300+ premium hotels across brands such as Pestana Hotels and Resorts, ARP Hansen Hotel Group, Autograph Collections, and Design Hotels, spanning 70+ destinations including Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Zurich, Munich, Lisbon, and Madrid. To date, Valpas-certified hotels have protected over one million trips, safeguarded significant hotel revenues, and contributed to increased guest satisfaction.
Forward-thinking hospitality brands such as Bob W and Honotel are also adopting Valpas certification across their portfolios, reflecting growing demand for a clear, guest-facing standard of bed bug safety.
The new funding will enable Valpas to expand its bed bug-safe standard to more hotels, travel partners, and geographies, including the Far East and the United States. The result is greater peace of mind for travelers, higher guest satisfaction for hotels, and reduced reliance on pesticides.
Bed bugs are a global issue that affects travelers regardless of destination. Studies indicate that a significant share of households have experienced bed bugs at least once, contributing to growing anxiety around travel.
“No one wants to carry bed bugs home after travels and spend thousands of euros dealing with the consequences. Valpas empowers hotels, travel agents, and booking platforms to extend a guarantee of a bed bug-safe stay to their customers,” says Martim Gois, co-founder and CEO of Valpas.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), greenhouse gas emissions must peak by 2025 to avoid the most severe climate impacts. Traditional pesticide use contributes to long-lasting environmental damage.
By enabling hotels to eliminate routine pesticide use in guest rooms, Valpas helps reduce carbon emissions and supports a more sustainable approach to hospitality. Fewer pesticides indoors also mean fewer chemicals entering homes, as bed bugs are less likely to spread through travel.
“Pest control has relied on extermination and pesticides for too long. Valpas is building the next generation of safety and hygiene standards in hospitality, reducing the need for room closures and the risk of negative brand exposure,” says Natalie Somekh, Partner at ActivumSG Ventures. “We are excited to back Martim and the team in building this new standard.”
Valpas enables hotels to become Valpas-certified bed bug-safe, offering guests a visible, verifiable guarantee of safety. Certification allows hotels to protect every room and reassure guests before and during their stay.
For travelers, this means no manual room checks, no stress about bringing bed bugs home, and no uncertainty about whether a hotel truly meets modern safety expectations. Valpas-certified hotels are recognizable through the Valpas label on hotel websites and travel platforms.
Valpas exists to enable every traveler to enjoy the living world with confidence.
More information: www.valpashotels.com
