Sherpa°
Sherpa° is a Toronto-based travel technology company that helps international travelers discover visa requirements and apply for electronic visas via its direct-to-consumer platform and embedded integrations with airlines and OTAs, including American Airlines, British Airways, Air Canada, Expedia Group, and Air Transat.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersToronto, Canada
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Sherpa° does
Sherpa° (legal entity Visa Run Inc.) is a Toronto-based travel technology company that operates a digital platform helping international travelers discover, apply for, and receive electronic visas and travel authorizations. The core product is a web-based application at apply.joinsherpa.com that aggregates government visa and travel restriction data and presents personalized requirements based on a traveler's passport nationality, destination country, travel purpose, dates, and vaccination status. Sherpa° guides users through eVisa application forms, reviews submissions, forwards them to government eVisa portals, and delivers approved authorizations electronically. The platform covers destinations including Egypt, India, UAE, USA (ESTA), and Namibia, and maintains real-time travel restriction mapping.
Beyond the direct-to-consumer surface, Sherpa° operates a B2B API and embedded integration channel, with its services surfaced inside the customer journeys of American Airlines, British Airways, Air Canada, Air Transat, and Expedia Group. Revenue is generated through per-transaction service fees layered on top of government-mandated visa fees, with Sherpa°'s portion typically ranging from $19 to $90 per application depending on destination and visa type. Underlying technology runs on Google Cloud (infrastructure and AI/ML), with Okta for IAM, Stripe and Mollie for payments, SendGrid for transactional email, Zendesk for support, and Zapier for workflow automation. Sherpa° has served over 1 million travelers and holds SOC 2 Type 2, PCI DSS 4.0, and GDPR compliance certifications.
The company is venture-backed, having raised approximately $11 million in cumulative funding across a 2020 seed round ($2.5M from True Ventures and Bossa Invest), a 2021 Series A ($8.5M led by Narrative Fund and True Ventures, with TSVC co-leading), and participation in Plug and Play's 2023 accelerator batch. Leadership includes CEO and co-founder Max Tremaine, CPO and co-founder Ivan Sharko, VP Engineering Alex Gogan, Director of Growth & Partnerships Jake Kotzer, and Director of Delivery & Integrations Andrew Dias. The firm employs 51–100 people.
Sherpa° firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sherpa°
- Legal name
- Visa Run Inc.
- Website
- https://joinsherpa.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Sherpa° is a Toronto-based travel technology company that helps international travelers discover visa requirements and apply for electronic visas via its direct-to-consumer platform and embedded integrations with airlines and OTAs, including American Airlines, British Airways, Air Canada, Expedia Group, and Air Transat.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sherpa° industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Travel Documentation & eVisa Services
- NAICS
- Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services (5615), All Other Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services (561599)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Online Booking & Reservation Platforms (B2B/B2C) (THALAMAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Travel Management & Booking Infrastructure (GDS/Channel Managers/Booking APIs) (BPAMAIAO), Sourcing & Content Management (GDS/NDC/Direct) (THALAMAH)
Keywords
Where Sherpa° is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Toronto
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Sherpa° business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- eVisa and Travel Authorization Service Fees: Sherpa charges travelers a service/processing fee on top of government-mandated visa fees for each eVisa application submitted through its platform. Fees range from approximately $19 to $110 per application depending on the destination and visa type. The traveler pays both the government fee and Sherpa's service fee in a single transaction. This is a per-transaction revenue model.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Transaction-based eVisa application service (one-time per application) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Sherpa° product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sherpa° operates a digital travel documentation platform that helps travelers identify country entry requirements, complete eVisa applications, and access up-to-date travel restriction information for destinations worldwide. The platform is delivered both as a direct-to-consumer service and as an embeddable product that is integrated into the booking and trip-management flows of major airlines and online travel agencies such as American Airlines, British Airways, Air Canada, Expedia Group, and Air Transat. Revenue is generated primarily through per-application service fees charged to travelers on top of official government visa fees.
Product overview
Sherpa° is a travel technology platform that provides visa application and travel requirements services to simplify international travel. The core offering consists of an eVisa application service that helps travelers apply for electronic visas to various destinations, and a travel requirements checker that provides real-time entry restrictions based on passport and travel purpose. The company also maintains a Trust Center for compliance documentation. The platform is integrated into travel company products and is trusted by major airlines and travel agencies including American Airlines, British Airways, Air Canada, Expedia Group, and Air Transat.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Sherpa° eVisa Application Service Guided online service that lets individual international travelers determine the visa and entry documents required for a destination and submit eVisa applications directly through Sherpa°'s web platform, with a per-application service fee charged on top of official government fees.
- Sherpa° Travel Requirements Checker Personalized tool that, given a traveler's passport and destination, returns the visa, passport, health, and other entry requirements applicable to that trip, drawing on Sherpa°'s travel restrictions and requirements database.
- Sherpa° Embedded Travel API (Partner Integration) White-label / API integration that lets airline, OTA, and travel agency partners embed Sherpa°'s visa requirements and eVisa application functionality directly into their own booking, post-purchase, or trip-management experiences, used by partners including American Airlines, British Airways, Air Canada, Expedia Group, and Air Transat.
Companies that use Sherpa°
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Sherpa° technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration7 records
Feature3 records
Sherpa° partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- American AirlinescoreAmerican Airlines embeds Sherpa's visa and travel requirement lookup and eVisa application services into its customer pre-travel experience. Travelers booking or managing travel on American Airlines' platform encounter Sherpa's services, enabling them to easily determine and fulfill documentation requirements before their flight.
- British AirwayscoreBritish Airways embeds Sherpa's visa and travel requirement lookup and eVisa application services into its customer pre-travel experience, allowing BA customers to access visa information and applications through the airline's platform.
- Air CanadacoreAir Canada embeds Sherpa's visa and travel requirement lookup and eVisa application services into its customer pre-travel experience, enabling Air Canada passengers to access Sherpa's documentation services through the airline's digital channels.
- Expedia GroupcoreExpedia Group embeds Sherpa's visa and travel requirement lookup and eVisa application services into its online travel booking platform, enabling Expedia customers to access visa requirements and apply for eVisas during or after the travel booking process.
- Air TransatcoreAir Transat embeds Sherpa's visa and travel requirement lookup and eVisa application services into its customer pre-travel experience for its travel customers, particularly those traveling to international destinations requiring visas.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Sherpa° competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- iVisa: Online visa and travel documentation platform that lets travelers apply for eVisas and ETAs across many destinations with a service fee on top of government fees. Closest direct competitor to Sherpa's B2C eVisa product, with a similar transaction-based model.
- VisaHQ: Online visa and passport services platform serving individual travelers, travel agents, and corporate clients with applications across a large number of countries. Comparable to Sherpa in core B2C/B2B eVisa product and in offering an API/white-label to partners.
- Travel Visa Pro: US-based visa and passport services provider offering expedited and electronic visa processing for individuals and corporate clients. Overlaps with Sherpa in B2C eVisa service and in serving travelers requiring documentation for international trips.
Broad incumbents
- CIBT (formerly CIBTvisas): Global corporate and individual visa and passport services provider, also operating Newland Chase for immigration and mobility. A much larger incumbent offering similar visa processing plus extensive corporate travel document management, with embedded relationships at major enterprises and travel suppliers.
- VFS Global: World's largest visa application center operator, running outsourced government visa services across dozens of countries. Comparable to Sherpa in the underlying visa processing function, but operating as a government-outsourced incumbent rather than a consumer/SaaS product.
- Booking.com (Visa Information Service): Largest global OTA, which surfaces destination visa and passport requirement information alongside bookings. Comparable to Sherpa in the pre-travel documentation step of the booking journey, but at vastly larger scale and as a feature within a broader travel product.
- Kayak (Visa Requirements Tool): Global travel metasearch engine that provides passport and visa requirement lookups by destination, similar to Sherpa's Travel Requirements Checker. Adjacent competitor that can substitute for Sherpa's free requirement lookups in the traveler's research phase.
Emerging players
- Atlys: Emerging digital visa and travel documentation startup focused on simplifying eVisa applications for individual travelers, with a mobile-first experience. Competes with Sherpa in the B2C consumer visa funnel and overlapping destinations.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Sherpa° social profiles
Digital presenceSherpa° financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sherpa° leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Sherpa° funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors10 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sherpa° M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sherpa°
What does Sherpa° do?
Sherpa° operates a digital travel documentation platform that helps travelers identify country entry requirements, complete eVisa applications, and access up-to-date travel restriction information for destinations worldwide. The platform is delivered both as a direct-to-consumer service and as an embeddable product that is integrated into the booking and trip-management flows of major airlines and online travel agencies such as American Airlines, British Airways, Air Canada, Expedia Group, and Air Transat. Revenue is generated primarily through per-application service fees charged to travelers on top of official government visa fees.
Is Sherpa° a public or private company?
Sherpa° is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Sherpa° founded?
Sherpa° was founded in 2021. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Sherpa° based?
Sherpa° is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Sherpa° make money?
One revenue line is on record: eVisa and Travel Authorization Service Fees.
Who are Sherpa°'s main competitors?
Direct peers on record are iVisa, VisaHQ and Travel Visa Pro. Broad incumbents are CIBT (formerly CIBTvisas), VFS Global, Booking.com (Visa Information Service) and Kayak (Visa Requirements Tool). Atlys is listed as an emerging player.
Does Sherpa° have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sherpa°.
What industry is Sherpa° in?
Sherpa°'s product category is Travel Documentation & eVisa Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THALAMAA, Online Booking & Reservation Platforms (B2B/B2C), with a secondary code of BPAMAIAO, Travel Management & Booking Infrastructure (GDS/Channel Managers/Booking APIs). Its NAICS code is 5615 and its SIC code is 7370.