Culture Trip, a global media/tech start-up for the culturally curious, today announces their Series A funding round of $20 million from PPF Group. Culture Trip had previously raised $2 million in seed funding from investors including media heavyweight US investor Gordy Crawford.

Founded by psychiatrist, Dr. Kris Naudts, Culture Trip has published more than 30,000 articles and videos designed to offer users cultural, travel and food recommendations wherever they are in the world. Culture Trip has recently opened three new offices in London, New York and Tel Aviv, with an innovative, blended approach to content production, filtering in submissions from its global community of over 40 country hubs and already attracting millions of users.

The investment will enable a significant acceleration of the business’ technology strategy, which utilizes a bespoke knowledge graph, built using AI technology, in order to create more personalized experiences for users, helping them navigate through content more effectively. Additionally, Culture Trip seeks to use some of the investment for editorial expansion across the globe and to establish a commercial arm that will begin to monetize the company’s plethora of content and growing fan base.

Dr. Kris Naudts, CEO and Founder of Culture Trip identified a gap in culture-driven content that was highly personalized and localized. Accordingly, he says “we’re committed to being at the forefront of providing users with the best cultural content and recommendations and enabling a free flow of knowledge about countries from around the world. Culture Trip’s knowledge graph allows the creation of a more meaningful experience for our users, deepening the personalization of content discovery with every new read. This investment will enable us to further this technology, and also expand our presence in new hubs around the world, to continue to develop our content offering.”

Ladislav Chvatal, Chief Officer for Strategic Projects of PPF Group says, “Culture Trip demonstrates exciting potential in both the media and tech landscapes, uniquely bridging a gap between curated content generation and proprietary technology creation. The company is taking a non-traditional approach to delivering cultural information, all while integrating some of today’s leading technologies. This new model of generating content for users refreshes today’s existing media market, making it an important venture that sees greater international growth and commercial development.”

With its recent funding and pioneering personalization mechanics, Culture Trip is fast becoming a digital, cultural and technological force.

About Culture Trip
Culture Trip is a global media and tech startup focused on bringing personalized content and recommendations around culture, food, and travel to users wherever they are, wherever they go. Founder and CEO Dr. Kris Naudts has created an inimitable concept that elicits and fosters curiosity beyond wanderlust, garnering a smart, influential readership through a potent mix of talent and technology.

Culture Trip offers a uniquely personalized user-experience through their proprietary Knowledge Graph technology, which uses AI technology, to customize and tailor content discovery across its platforms. With offices in London, New York City, and Tel Aviv alongside already 40 local hubs of editorial contributors, Culture Trip is passionate about producing inspired local content and recommendations that enhance people’s lives, inviting users to discover the world while exploring, sharing, and connecting with others. For more information, please visit www.theculturetrip.com or follow Culture Trip on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram.

About PPF Group
PPF Group invests into multiple market segments such as banking and financial services, telecommunications, biotechnology, tech, real estate, retail, insurance and agriculture. PPF’s reach spans from Europe to the USA and across Asia. PPF Group owns assets exceeding EUR 21.6 billion (as of December 31, 2015).

About Dr. Kris Naudts

Born and raised in Belgium, with short stints in South Africa and Israel during medical school, Kris moved to London to become an academic psychiatrist at King’s College – Europe’s largest center for research in psychiatry and neuroscience. He also worked as medical director of a large private psychiatric hospital in London. However, an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for global culture and stories led him to change career and found Culture Trip.