Milan-based group travel startup WeRoad has raised $58 million in a Series C round led by Airbnb as it prepares for its first major expansion outside of Europe. The funding brings the company’s total capital to approximately $100 million and will fund WeRoad’s expansion into the United States, starting with Austin.
The new investment reflects our conviction that the next generation of travel agencies will be less of a booking platform and more of a social platform designed to foster real connections.
The U.S. launch comes as loneliness has become both a public health problem and a new business opportunity, especially among younger consumers. With much of the tech industry still focused on AI, WeRoad is positioning itself as part of the growing “IRL economy,” a category of startups that make money from offline interactions rather than screen time. Companies like Timeleft, 222, and Pie are pursuing similar ideas through dinners, clubs, events, and community-based experiences.
The idea for WeRoad came from founders Paolo De Nadai, Fabio Bin and Erika De Santi’s own quest for connection.
“It started out of a very personal need. Once you graduate from college and start working, it becomes harder to find people to travel with. Friends settle down, have kids, move, or you can’t fit into their schedules anymore,” De Nadai told TechCrunch. “My co-founder Fabio and I had both looked into companies offering similar group travel experiences for solo travelers, but while the trip was great, something was missing. The guides were professional local experts, the age groups in the group were mixed, and people didn’t make eye contact. Although we traveled together, we didn’t really connect.”
The founders’ response was to redesign group travel around common interests. WeRoad trips are primarily designed for young travelers, grouped around common interests and travel styles. Customers can book trips through the platform based on themes such as beach holidays, skiing and more.
De Nadai added, “We asked ourselves, ‘What if we created travel for millennials and Gen Z travelers and focused on bringing together people of the same age group with shared cultural backgrounds but from completely different backgrounds and creating real bonds between them?’”
Before each trip begins, travelers are added to a WhatsApp group managed by the group leader, so members can get to know each other in advance. Groups typically include 8 to 15 travelers.
“People’s biggest concern is rarely the destination, but it’s usually the concern that they won’t connect with the group,” De Nadai said. To address this, WeRoad intentionally structures its itineraries around social dynamics. More adventurous or collaborative activities are often planned early in the trip to help break the ice.
Most itineraries are between 10 and 12 days, but the company has also introduced shorter weekend formats for first-time customers. According to WeRoad, approximately 60% of travelers eventually book another trip.
WeRoad also has ‘group leaders’, coordinators who are closer in age to the traveler and act more like travel companions instead of traditional tour guides. The company currently works with more than 4,000 group leaders worldwide.
“We’re not looking for destination experts, we’re looking for people with travel experience and strong soft skills. Can we help them lead groups, handle tensions, adapt to changes in plans, and connect with strangers?” de Naday said.
WeRoad has also begun expanding beyond travel itself. In 2025, the company launched WeMeet, an app focused on local, in-person gatherings: dinners, hikes, yoga classes, running groups, after-work drinks, and board game nights. WeRoad said last year more than 50,000 people attended WeMeet events in 35 cities and app downloads reached 150,000.
The company said WeMeet will also play a central role in its U.S. expansion strategy. Rather than immediately expand nationwide, WeRoad plans to first focus on a few cities, starting with Austin, to recruit group leaders, organize local events, and build community partnerships before expanding further.
“We will be launching WeMeet events in multiple cities across the U.S. throughout 2026, starting with Austin, which has incredible energy and a vibrant community environment,” De Nadai said.
Whether companies can build sustainable businesses around loneliness and social connection remains an open question. But investors are increasingly convinced that demand is real.
WeRoad said it would generate revenue of €130 million in 2025, up 30% on the previous year, and that it took more than 100,000 travelers on trips last year alone. Since launching in 2017, the company says it has organized trips for more than 300,000 customers across more than 1,000 itineraries globally.
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