Harry Yu and Peter Yu were twin brothers who grew up travelling all over the world. This aspect of their lives continued into their careers. They didn't like the task of arranging the logistics. Vacations that were possible quickly are now more complicated and require reservations.
Different people travel differently. However, there is one thing that all travelers use to plan their trips and share it with others, Harry Yu explained to TechCrunch. We recognized the need for something more than just spreadsheets and copy-and-paste.
They launched Bay Area-based Wanderlog 2019 to allow users to record and gather their travel plans. This free itinerary planner and route planner combines the best features of Google Docs and Maps. Users can import the information and map the trip. Wanderlog can help you find the best route to take to places you'd like to see. Peter Yu explained that reservations can be made.
Wednesday's announcement by the company was that it had raised $1.5 million from Abstract Ventures and General Catalyst for seed funding.
Wanderlog has created a product that understands how people plan trips and share experiences. It's no surprise that people love it, Niko Bonatsos from General Catalysts stated via email. General Catalyst is proud of Wanderlog and was excited to see the growth Peter, Harry, and the entire Wanderlog Team achieve.
The company was part of Y Combinators 2019. It plans to use the funding to expand its web- and mobile app features. This includes offering restaurant recommendations based on Yelp and Google reviews.
Although they declined to disclose growth metrics, the founders said that the platform has already helped facilitate thousands of trips each week. Harry Yu stated that customers are already telling the founders the app allows for group communication. Everyone can see the plans and then discuss them. They just launched a subscription-based service and are already seeing positive early metrics.
Wanderlog is one of many travel startups that are attracting venture capital funds as travel restrictions have started to ease in the wake of the pandemic. In the last month, companies such as Thatch have raised $3 million for their platform that targets travel creators. Hopper, a travel tech company, raised $175 million and Wheel the World raised $2 million. Elude, meanwhile, raised $2.1 million to bring spontaneity back to an industry that has been hard hit.
