Why We Build

Nine months ago we started Wander because the existing infrastructure to experience the world was broken. Stays were consistently disappointing. Unhelpful robots had replaced customer service. Marketing was designed to mislead and sell, rather than inspire and educate. The products were soulless, designed by data rather than people. We wanted to create something better. 

We knew our product wouldn’t be our app or inventory, but the feeling we delivered to our customers. That “holy sh*t, this is awesome” feeling. That “I’m so grateful to be here… with you” feeling. That “Dad look! That cloud kinda looks like a duck!” feeling. Everything we build is in service of these moments and memories. To help our customers experience the world with the people they care about most. To help them find their happy place. 

A few months ago, we shared our vision, and since then, we’ve reached 30,000+ waitlist reservations, 2,200+ founding members, and most notably served as a conduit for our guests to experience the world. 

Today, I’m excited to share that we’ve raised our $20m Series A to continue building the travel experience of the future. QED led the round, with participation from Redpoint Ventures, Authentic Ventures, Fifthwall, Susa Ventures, Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman's Thirty Five Ventures, Packy McCormick, Sahil Bloom, Todd & Rahul’s Angel Fund, Alumni Ventures, Vibe Capital, Socially Financed, Bluewatch Ventures, hnvr and many others.

We’ve also opened up booking to everyone today through the Wander app. Over the coming months, you can expect us to roll out dozens more homes across the United States (and soon internationally), release Wander Teams for both company retreats and employee benefits, experiment with longer stays, play our part in building Web3, and so much more. 

We want to build a better platform for life, work and travel. One that puts people and community at the center. One that can iterate towards perfection across every aspect of the experience. We are starting with short-term stays, with much more to come. It won’t be easy, but things worth doing rarely are. 

Thank you for believing in us and this idea. 

John Andrew Entwistle

Founder, CEO