WeRoad has raised $58 million in a Series C funding round led by Airbnb as the Milan-based group travel startup prepares for its first major expansion beyond Europe. Through the latest funding round, the company has increased its total capital raised to nearly $100 million and plans to use the fresh investment to accelerate its entry into the United States, starting with Austin.
The investment highlights growing investor confidence in the evolving social travel industry, where companies increasingly focus on facilitating real-world human connections rather than simply offering booking platforms. At the same time, rising concerns around loneliness, particularly among Millennials and Gen Z consumers, continue to create new opportunities for startups building community-driven offline experiences.
While much of the technology industry currently prioritises artificial intelligence, WeRoad has positioned itself within the expanding “IRL economy,” a category of startups that monetise in-person interaction instead of digital screen time. Additionally, companies such as Timeleft, 222, and Pie are also exploring similar concepts through social dinners, clubs, local events, and community-focused gatherings.
The founders of WeRoad — Paolo De Nadai, Fabio Bin, and Erika De Santi — created the company after experiencing the growing challenge of finding meaningful travel companions as adults.
“It started from a very personal need. When you finish college and start working, it becomes harder to find people to travel with. Friends were settling down, having kids, moving away, or simply couldn’t align schedules anymore,” De Nadai said. “My cofounder Fabio and I both tried companies offering similar group travel experiences for solo travellers, but while the trips were good, something was missing. The guides were professional local experts, and the groups were mixed in age, and people didn’t really see eye to eye. People were traveling together, but not really connecting.”
In response, the founders redesigned group travel around shared interests, compatible age groups, and stronger social interaction. Consequently, WeRoad primarily targets younger travellers by organising trips around themes such as beach vacations, skiing, adventure travel, and lifestyle-focused experiences.
“We asked ourselves, ‘What if we created trips for Millennials and Gen Z travellers, bringing together people from the same age groups with shared cultural references but completely different backgrounds, and focused on creating real bonds between them?’” De Nadai added.
Before each journey begins, WeRoad adds travellers to WhatsApp groups managed by group leaders so participants can start interacting before departure. Typically, each travel group includes between eight and fifteen people.
“The biggest concern people have is rarely the destination,” De Nadai said, explaining that travellers often worry more about social compatibility within the group. Therefore, WeRoad intentionally designs itineraries around group dynamics and schedules collaborative or adventurous activities early in the trip to encourage interaction and break social barriers.
Most of the company’s itineraries last between 10 and 12 days. However, WeRoad has also introduced shorter weekend travel formats to attract first-time users and younger consumers seeking flexible travel experiences. According to the company, nearly 60% of travellers eventually book another trip through the platform.
Instead of using traditional tour guides, WeRoad appoints “group leaders,” coordinators closer in age to the travellers who act more like companions than instructors. Currently, the company works with more than 4,000 group leaders globally.
“We’re not looking for destination experts but for people with travel experience and strong soft skills. Can they lead a group, handle tension, adapt when plans change, and help strangers connect?” De Nadai said.
Meanwhile, WeRoad has expanded beyond travel services by launching WeMeet in 2025, an app dedicated to local in-person gatherings, including dinners, yoga sessions, hikes, running clubs, after-work social events, and board game nights. The company stated that more than 50,000 people attended WeMeet events across 35 cities last year, while the app achieved over 150,000 downloads.
Furthermore, WeRoad plans to use WeMeet as a central pillar of its U.S. expansion strategy. Instead of immediately expanding nationwide, the company intends to focus on a select group of cities beginning with Austin, where it will recruit group leaders, organise local events, and establish community partnerships before scaling operations further.
“We’ll be launching WeMeet events across multiple U.S. cities throughout 2026, starting with Austin because of its incredible energy and vibrant community scene,” De Nadai said.
Although questions remain around whether companies can build sustainable businesses focused on loneliness and social connection, investors continue to place strong bets on the sector’s long-term potential.
WeRoad reported €130 million in revenue in 2025, marking a 30% year-on-year increase, while the company organised trips for more than 100,000 travellers during the year alone. Since launching in 2017, WeRoad has facilitated travel experiences for more than 300,000 customers across over 1,000 itineraries worldwide.
The latest funding round and U.S. expansion plans position WeRoad among the fastest-growing players in the social travel and community-driven experience economy. As younger consumers increasingly prioritise meaningful human interaction, shared experiences, and community-based travel, companies like WeRoad could reshape the future of global tourism and experiential networking.
