Osborne Clarke advises M13 and firstminute capital on the sale of their shares in AI travel planning platform Layla to Expedia Group

Osborne Clarke has provided legal advice to venture capital investors M13 and firstminute capital on the sale of their shares in Layla, an AI-based travel planning and booking platform, as part of its acquisition by Expedia Group.

Founded in 2023 by Saad Saeed (co-founder of Flink) and Sardar Bali, Layla supports travellers in moving seamlessly from initial inspiration, through the creation of individual travel itineraries, to final booking – via a dialogue-based, digital AI travel agent. The platform covers the entire journey and helps users discover and combine flights, accommodation, activities, restaurants and transport options in a personalised conversation.

Expedia Group, a global travel marketplace with a comprehensive portfolio of brands and offerings, is accelerating its AI strategy in the field of travel planning and booking through the acquisition. By combining Layla’s planning and personalisation capabilities with Expedia’s offering, the aim is to create more personalised travel experiences that accompany travellers from the first idea through to booking. The transaction also reflects the growing impact of AI-based business models in the international travel market and illustrates the extent to which investors and strategics are now focusing on conversational AI and data-driven personalisation.

Comprehensive advice on structuring the transaction

Osborne Clarke provided M13 and firstminute capital with comprehensive advice on the corporate, tax and contractual aspects of the transaction, including structuring the sale of the shares and negotiating the transaction documentation with Expedia Group.

The Osborne Clarke team was led by Maximilian Vocke and also included Robert Marx (both Corporate / Transactions) and Ann-Kristin Lochmann (Tax).