Worldwide: Accessible travel company Wheel the World has closed a $6 million funding round and announced two new booking tool features.
The funding round was led by Kayak Ventures with participation from Detroit Venture Partners, REI Co-op Path Ahead Ventures, former Booking.com CEO Gillian Tans, Dadneo, CLIN Fund, Amarena and WeBoost.
Following the capital raise, Wheel the World has introduced a price match offer from booking platforms such as Booking.com and Expedia, as well as providing guaranteed accessibility for hotel rooms booked from its website.
Alvaro Silberstein, co-founder of Wheel the World, said: “Through our operations, we can guarantee accessibility that other platforms cannot. If you find something that we didn’t promise, we will give you your money back. As powerful as it sounds, we allowed that a month ago, and it’s working really well.”
The company has announced a goal of reaching 12,000 travellers booking through its platform by December 2024. Currently, 79 per cent of users are US based, a demographic which has become a key focus for the team over the next two years.
According to TechCrunch, the new capital will be used to pursue partnerships with DMOs (destination management organisations) as well as introduce additional product development around customer experience, such as booking multiple trips, places to stay and group tours.
Since launching in 2018, Wheel the World provides accessible travel experiences across more than 200 destinations.
