Unawareness
Eligible travelers abandon refunds due to complexity or lack of awareness, leaving billions unclaimed every year.
Launching 2026
Your refund.
Your refund.
The moment it happens.
VATO brings the traveler their VAT refund the moment the purchase happens. A digital card, spendable before they have even left the country.
Available now
€247.50
•••• •••• •••• 4721
VAT REFUND CARD
VAT Refund Advanced
+€247.50
Milan, IT · Just now
The Market
€49B moves through this market every year. Almost half of it never reaches the traveler it belongs to.
€49B
Annual EU tax free shopping market.
40%
Of refunds go unclaimed, money that stays with governments, not travelers.
€350
Average VAT refund per trip.
The Problem
Where the money gets stuck.
Liquidity
Refunds take up to 60 days after the trip ends to arrive, if they arrive at all. The traveler's money is frozen exactly when they need it.
Tracking
Multiple refund forms and operators in a single trip make it nearly impossible to know what is actually owed.
How It Works
Step 01
Step 02
Step 03
Step 04
From purchase to payout. Guided, end to end.
You shop.
Shop tax free anywhere in Europe, exactly as you do today. No new steps at the register.
We advance.
VATO advances the full estimated refund to a digital card instantly, while the traveler is still on the trip.
Validation, guided.
Before flying home, VATO guides the traveler through digital customs validation in seconds. That is the step where most refunds die today.
We make sure it gets done.
Done.
The refund is already spendable. VATO settles quietly in the background.
Why Now
Built for the EU's digital customs era.
April 2026
Digital validation
Since April 2026, digital customs validation is mandatory across the EU. The industry is moving from paper to real time.
2028
EU Customs Reform
From 2028, import and export processes go fully digital, and customs along with them. The companies that build now capture structural first mover advantage.
Now
No real time player
There is currently no real time VAT refund solution for travelers. VATO is the financial infrastructure for the market this regulation is about to create.
Proven In The Field
Field tested in Italy.
Real purchases detected, real refunds advanced, and a live refund cancellation edge case caught and resolved before scale. Distribution talks in advanced stages with leading consumer fintech and insurance platforms.
Design partner on board.
A leading Israeli financial platform, with hundreds of thousands of traveling customers, is working with us as a design partner. Shaping the product with us and validating it against real user needs ahead of launch.
Go-to-Market
Primary Channel
Scale Channel
Retention Channel
Direct Channel
Reach travelers where they already are.
Airlines
Integrate directly into airline apps. Confirmed flight bookings mean verified travel intent, the highest quality user signal in travel fintech.
Banks & Neobanks
White label SDK for banking apps targeting international travelers. Partners acquire VATO users at near zero CAC.
Travel Insurance
Bundled as a value add for premium travel policies, turning refund services into a real differentiator in a commoditized market.
VATO Card
Our own branded digital card, a direct to consumer testing ground for pricing, usage patterns, and unit economics before we scale.
Team
Built by executors.
Gilad Rozen
CEO & Co-FounderBanking and litigation lawyer. Serial entrepreneur. Former combat soldier, Israeli Navy SEALs. Gilad brings the legal architecture and the founder energy to push through walls.
LinkedIn
Guy Blitt
COO & Co-FounderVeteran of Unit 81, the IDF's elite intelligence technology unit. Guy brings the operational precision and deep tech depth to build infrastructure that scales.
LinkedIn
Backed by advisors from
PayPal · Sunbit · BlueVine · Meitav · EL AL · Livble · Obligo · The Vetted VC
Video
See it in action.
Launching 2026
Get VAT's yours.
Every year, billions in VAT refunds never make it back to the travelers they belong to. We're changing that. Join the waitlist, or talk to us about partnering.