Airbnb backs WeRoad as solo travel startup eyes expansion
WeRoad, the Milan-founded travel company that organises group trips for solo travellers, has closed a $58 million Series C round led by Airbnb. The raise beings WeRoad’s total funding to $100 million and will support its first major expansion beyond Europe, as the company pushes into the United States.
The investment is a notable vote of confidence from Airbnb, whose own business was built on the idea that strangers could share intimate spaces. WeRoad’s pitch fits into Airbnb’s belief: millennials and Gen Z travellers, around 90% of whom book its trips alone, are willing to spend money to find community, not just sightseeing.
Since its launch in 2017, the company says it has taken more than 300,000 people across over 1,000 itineraries on every continent, with each trip led by a ‘group leader’, a seasoned traveller who handles logistics while nudging strangers toward friendship. WeRoad now has more than 4,000 such leaders across Europe.
The US rollout, planned for multiple cities in 2026, will be anchored by WeMeet, a platform WeRoad launched in 2025 for local social gatherings – day hikes, after-work drinks, yoga sessions – open to anyone, not just existing customers. The company says more than 50,000 people attended 2,000 WeMeet events across 35 cities last year, and the app has been downloaded 150,000 times.
WeRoad is positioning itself as a player in what it calls the “IRL economy”, a term for businesses that use digital tools to drive physical, in-person experiences rather than maximise screen time. The framing taps into growing anxiety about social isolation: the company cites research suggesting roughly 30% of young adults report feeling lonely every day.
“People today are not just looking to visit new places, they’re looking to belong,” said Paolo De Nadai, WeRoad’s founder, in a statement. He will continue to lead the company alongside co-founders Fabio Bin, the company’s CMO, and Erika De Santi, Chief of Experience.
The company’s CEO, Andrea D’Amico – a former Booking.com executive – will step back from day-to-day operations to relocate to San Francisco, where he will lead hotels at Airbnb. He will retain a seat on WeRoad’s board.
Existing investor H14, which led the Series B, also participated in the new round.
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