'Soar' wars: Inside two AI startups' messy fight over the same name
A founder known for viral antics sent a LinkedIn request to the CEO of Soar, a travel startup. Days later, he launched a rival — also called Soar.
On May 17, Stanley Virgint and Henry Langmack exchanged polite LinkedIn messages. Langmack inquired about Soar, Virgint's AI travel companion startup. The next day, Virgint informed Langmack he was fundraising and asked for his number. The following day, Langmack launched his own Soar startup with similar AI travel services. Virgint accused Langmack of copycatting his brand and demanded a rebrand.
The dispute over the Soar name was not resolved quickly. It became a war over visibility and identity in the crowded AI startup market. Both startups aimed to make flight bookings as easy as Uber. Virgint's Soar was an AI travel companion, while Langmack and Slater's version was a flight booking system.
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