Wheel the World, a travel booking site, raised a $2M seed funding round led by Chile Global Ventures and Dadneo. Plug N Play Ventures and Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube, also participated in the round.
Wheel the World is a travel booking site specifically for people with limited accessibility, such as those in wheelchairs. Alvaro Silberstein and Camilo Navarro started the site after their own experience trying to travel with Silberstein who uses a wheelchair for mobility.
The pair founded the company after a trip to Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park – which they had thought would be impossible – turned out to be a huge success with the help of a crowdfunding campaign that enabled them to buy a hiking wheelchair for Silberstein. They launched Wheel of the World in 2018 to help others in similar situations find accessible travel experiences.
“We have a clear belief and purpose to make the world accessible,” said Silberstein.
Since launch, around 1,300 people have booked a trip, choosing from 400 listings across 50 destinations offered on the platform. Users can specify their exact accessibility needs and find a trip, hotel, and service that suits them best.
With the new funding, the founders will make new hires, improve the platform’s technology, and add new travel listings to the site.
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