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Wheel the World provides a comprehensive online platform for booking accessible travel experiences, offering detailed, verified information on hotels and activities. The company's technical approach focuses on meticulously auditing and presenting accessibility data, including photos and precise measurements, to ensure suitability for travelers with diverse needs. This enables individuals to confidently plan and book trips tailored to their specific requirements, supported by a network of trained guides and adaptive equipment.
The company was founded in 2017 by lifelong friends Álvaro Silberstein and Camilo Navarro. Their founding insight stemmed from Silberstein’s personal experience with C5 quadriplegia following a 2004 car accident. In 2016, they successfully navigated the challenging Torres del Paine route in Patagonia with an all-terrain wheelchair, demonstrating the possibility of accessible adventure. This inspiring journey, and its subsequent viral recognition, catalyzed their mission to empower others to explore globally.
Wheel the World serves a critical market of people with disabilities, their families, and friends, who historically face significant barriers in travel. The company’s long-term vision is to transform the travel industry by making the world truly accessible, ensuring that detailed and reliable information is readily available so every traveler can fulfill their desire to explore, removing limitations for millions.
Wheel the World has raised $25.0M across 4 funding rounds.
Wheel the World has raised $25.0M in total across 4 funding rounds.
Wheel the World is a technology-enabled travel platform that builds accessible booking solutions for hotels, tours, experiences, transportation, and multi-day trips tailored for people with disabilities and their companions.[1][2][3] It serves individual travelers, groups, and hospitality providers in the accessible tourism market—valued at over $120 billion—by solving the core problem of unreliable accessibility information through a proprietary mapping system, verified certifications, and a B2C marketplace.[1][4] The company has raised $14.86M in funding (latest Seed VC-IV round $6M two years ago), achieved $3.5M annualized revenue with 70% gross margins, and seen bookings quadruple from 900 in 2022 to 4,000 in 2024, signaling strong 2x+ YoY growth momentum.[1][4]
Wheel the World was founded in 2018 by Alvaro Silberstein (CEO) and Camilo Navarro, both with personal ties to disabilities, initially in Santiago, Chile, before expanding to San Francisco headquarters.[1][2][6] The idea emerged from a pivotal friendship-driven adventure: the founders took Alvaro—who uses a wheelchair—to Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia using a special all-terrain chair, a route never before completed by someone in a wheelchair; their viral story inspired the platform to scale accessible adventures globally.[3][6] Early traction built on mapping accessibility data for hotels and tours, evolving from a consumer-facing booking site to a B2B certification leader, with the team—many with disabilities—prioritizing authentic expertise.[2][3][6]
Wheel the World rides the inclusive travel megatrend, tapping a $120B+ accessible tourism market underserved by giants like Booking.com and Expedia, which lack detailed disability data.[3][4] Timing aligns with rising demand from 1B+ people with disabilities globally, post-pandemic travel rebound, and regulatory pushes for accessibility (e.g., Miami's 2025 partnership).[1] Market forces like AI/LiDAR tech and B2B adoption favor it, positioning Wheel as the foundational accessibility data layer—influencing ecosystems by certifying providers, donating equipment, training pros, and normalizing barrier-free exploration.[2][4][6]
Wheel the World is raising Series A to hit 20,000 verified sites and $20M revenue by 2027, accelerating AI-driven mapping and B2B sales for ubiquitous accessibility data.[4] Trends like AI-enhanced verification, global regulations, and inclusive tech will propel it toward marketplace dominance, potentially expanding to adjacent sectors like events or cruises. Its influence could evolve from niche pioneer to industry standard-setter, empowering millions to "explore without limits"—echoing the founders' Patagonia breakthrough that sparked it all.[3][6]
Wheel the World has raised $25.0M across 4 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $11.0M Series A in February 2026.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 25, 2026 | $11M Series A | Enable Ventures, Kayyak Ventures | Erik Blachford, Gillian Tans, Hicham Mhammedi Alaoui, Jaime Arrieta Boetsch, Jake Steinman, Menno DE Kuijer, Pedro David Espinoza, Peter Studer, Impacta VC, Miles Partnership, Samaritan Partners, Vulcano, Weboost | Announced |
| Mar 9, 2023 | $6M Venture Round | Kayak Ventures | Gillian Tans, Amarena, CLIN Private Investment Fund, Dadneo, Detroit Venture Partners, REI Co OP Path Ahead Ventures, Weboost | Announced |
| Mar 1, 2023 | $6M Seed | Kayak Ventures | Avalancha Ventures, Impacta VC, Amarena, CLIN Private Investment Fund, Dadneo, Detroit Venture Partners, Gillian Tans, REI Co OP Path Ahead Ventures, Weboost | Announced |
| Aug 9, 2021 | $2M Seed | Chile Global Ventures, Dadneo | Susan Wojcicki IN Remembrance, Plug And Play Ventures | Announced |
Wheel the World has raised $25.0M in total across 4 funding rounds.
Wheel the World's investors include Enable Ventures, Kayyak Ventures, Erik Blachford, Gillian Tans, Hicham Mhammedi Alaoui, Jaime Arrieta Boetsch, Jake Steinman, Menno de Kuijer, Pedro David Espinoza, Peter Studer, Impacta VC, Miles Partnership.
