Maven Cognition has completed an Enterprise Investment Scheme (“EIS”) investment in Not In the Guidebooks (“NITGB”), a fast growing travel business specialising in authentic, immersive and sustainable experiences designed and delivered by local hosts.
The investment was completed on an off-market basis and will support the business as it continues to scale its differentiated proposition within the UK and international travel markets.
Founded in 2018, NITGB has established a distinctive, experience-led travel offering, providing curated itineraries that enable travellers to engage more deeply with destinations through locally hosted activities, characterful accommodation and personalised journeys.
The business operates a B2B, agent‑led distribution model, working with a large and expanding UK travel agent network to distribute its curated itineraries. Agents incorporate the product into their ongoing client propositions, providing a scalable route to market. A direct‑to‑consumer channel operates alongside this as a complementary distribution channel.
Within this model, the business has developed a repeatable destination ‘playbook’, first proven in Lapland, which involves sourcing and curating high‑quality local hosts, packaging experiences into scalable itineraries and distributing them through its established B2B agent network. This approach is now being applied to new priority markets including Morocco, Sri Lanka and Costa Rica, using the same host‑led sourcing, itinerary structure and agent distribution model.
As part of the transaction, Richard Downs has joined the business as Chair and invested alongside Maven in the current funding round. Richard is a highly experienced travel entrepreneur, having founded Iglu and led the business through a decade of growth prior to its sale to Flight Centre in December 2025 in a deal valued at up to £127 million. His appointment brings significant sector expertise and board level experience as the business enters its next phase of development.
Jenny Linney, Portfolio Director at Maven, said: “Not In the Guide Books is a well‑positioned travel specialist led by an experienced management team, operating within a large and growing experiential travel segment. The business benefits from a dual B2B and direct‑to‑consumer model, with an established agent network providing a clear route to scale and a complementary consumer channel offering longer‑term margin opportunity. Maven Cognition will work closely with the management team and board to support the execution of the company’s growth plans as it continues to scale.”
Carol Savage, Founder and CEO of NITGB, commented: “Not In the Guidebooks was created to connect travellers more meaningfully with the places they visit and the people who live there. With Maven Cognition’s support and Richard Downs joining as Chair, we are well positioned to accelerate growth, expand into new destinations, and invest in our technology — making it easier for agents to discover, package and book our itineraries.
This will make us quicker and easier to do business with, unlock the next phase of growth, and continue building a category-defining business in immersive travel.”
