Airbnb Leads $58M WeRoad Series C to Bring the 'IRL Economy' to the US

The capital will finance the company’s first major push outside of Europe, bringing its group travel itineraries and local WeMeet social experiences into multiple U.S. cities beginning with Austin, Texas .

WeRoad’s Business Model: Turning Strangers into Travel Companions

Founded in 2017 in Milan by Paolo De Nadai, Fabio Bin, and Erika De Santi, WeRoad designs adventure trips for the 18-to-49 age bracket. Its core proposition is simple but effective: small groups of 8 to 15 people, usually strangers, traveling together. About 90% of its customers join trips alone, creating a ready-made social environment that sidesteps the loneliness of true solo travel .

Key to the model are its 4,000+ travel coordinators—not professional guides but passionate travelers who manage logistics and foster group connection on a casual contract basis . This asset-light approach, combined with a curated marketplace of itineraries, helped the company surpass €100 million in annual revenue in 2024 .

Scale and Proven Traction

WeRoad’s growth since launch has been rapid. By the time of the Series C announcement, it had served more than 300,000 travelers across over 1,000 itineraries in more than 150 destinations worldwide . In 2025 alone, 100,000 people traveled with the company .

Beyond Travel: The WeMeet Platform and the "IRL Economy"

WeRoad isn't just a tour operator. In 2025, the company launched WeMeet, a platform for local in-person experiences—hikes, dinners, sports, yoga—open to everyone, not just past travelers. In its first year, WeMeet hosted over 2,000 events with roughly 50,000 participants across 35 cities, and its app was downloaded 150,000 times .

This extension places WeRoad at the center of the so-called "IRL economy"—a category of startups monetizing offline interaction rather than screen time . The company frames its entire mission as a counterbalance to digital isolation. As founder and CEO Paolo De Nadai stated: “In a world increasingly shaped by AI and social media, genuine human connection is becoming both rarer and more valuable. At WeRoad, we've built our entire model around the belief that real-life experiences are the antidote to digital isolation” .

The U.S. Gambit

With the new funding, WeRoad is preparing to challenge a U.S. market where it sees significant demand for social connection. The launch will include both its multi-day travel itineraries and WeMeet social events, supported by a local network of coordinators and new marketing investments . For Airbnb, the investment is a strategic move to deepen its involvement in experiences well beyond accommodation, aligning with a fast-growing, community-focused travel platform that has already proven its model across Italy, Spain, the UK, France, and Germany .