From Friend-Trips to Full-Blown Travel Brand: The WeRoad Founder Playbook

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👋 Hey Deal Lift Readers

If you’ve been thinking: “There’s too much travel tech already,” then this story of WeRoad might flip your mindset. Founded by three friends who hated trying to organize trips with other grown-ups, WeRoad has gone from small group adventures to a major travel tech business that hit €100 million revenue in 2024.

In this issue I’m pulling apart the founder story, the tactics, the growth levers — so you can steal what applies. Expect some emojis, some flair, and a lot of value. Let’s go.

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🧠 The Spark: Frustrated Travelers Build Their Own Solution

Meet the founders:

• Paolo De Nadai

• Erika De Santi

• Fabio Bin

They loved travel. But as they got older? Trying to coordinate trips with friends who had new jobs, relationships, homes — it was complicated. They tried group tours for solo travelers, but found them off-brand: lacked authenticity, social connection, the “right crowd”.

So they asked: What if we built a travel company for people like us — curated trips, social by design, matching moods not just destination? That insight became WeRoad.

Key play: Realizing your own pain is probably shared. Build for it.

🏗️ Execution Timeline: Launch → Crisis → Scale

🔍 Why WeRoad Works: Four Key Levers

1. Community First

WeRoad didn’t build a travel agency—they built a tribe. Solo travelers, small groups, shared vibes. 600+ trip coordinators, mood-based matching, peer community. Unlike commoditised tours.

2. Audience-Focused Design

They targeted Millennials & Gen Z solo-travelers who still crave connection. Their trips are curated by age‐group & interest (“adrenaline”, “culture”, “chill”). That segmentation leads to better NPS, higher referrals.

3. Tech-Enabled, Not Tech-Overboard

They resisted making a “Tinder for travel” with algorithmic matching. Instead: personal coordinators + community chats + human-first tech. That balance kept authenticity.

4. Crisis Reinforces Brand

When COVID shut travel globally, WeRoad didn’t hide. They were transparent, asked their community for help via gift-cards, raised in 3 days. That built brand trust that now fuels referrals and retention.

📊 Tactical Breakdown: What Operators Should Steal

• Define your “mood” segment: Instead of generic product, slice by user-state (e.g., “I just got divorced and want connection”, “I’m 30 and free and want adrenaline”, etc.).

• Create lead with community: Before 100 M revenue hit, WeRoad had a community of travelers and coordinators. That organic growth matters more than paid ads.

• Use crises as bonding moments: Community loyalty is built when you’re real during turbulence.

• Human-first tech: People don’t always want full automation—especially with experience products.

• Expand when ready: WeRoad launched globally after they nailed the core model in Italy & Spain. Don’t scale too early.

🧩 Additional Insights Worth Noting

• WeRoad raised €13.5 M in Oct 2021 including €4 M via crowd-investing from ~100 customers. That means community-investors = brand ambassadors.

• They currently operate across major European cities, with presence in Italy, Spain, UK and more.

• Their business model includes: tours direct to traveler + merchandise + sponsorships + community meets. That diversified revenue helps weather travel seasonality.

• In 2024, the revenue figure of €100 M indicates travel market now tolerates niche, community-driven operators—not just big tour brands.

🎯 Final Thoughts: Why This Story Matters to You

If you’re building a business in 2025: maybe you’re in experience, services, community, travel—or something seemingly crowded. WeRoad’s playbook says:

• Find the social gap in your market. People want connection, not just product.

• Build community before scale.

• Be transparent when things break. Real brand = real human story.

• Design for mood, not just demographics.

• Use tech to enable, not replace, human relatability.

✅ Deal Lift Takeaways

Title: The WeRoad Growth Framework: Community → Experience → Scale
Key Moves to Apply:

1. Own the mood-match (segment by state of mind).

2. Launch with human-first model (coordinators, community).

3. Make your crisis-response part of brand building.

4. Diversify your revenue streams within your vertical.

5. Raise growth capital only after core model is proven.

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If you liked this issue, I can send you the “WeRoad Playbook PDF”—10 slides you can use for your startup growth deck, including community growth checklist, mood-segmentation map, revenue stream matrix. Just reply “Send PDF” and I’ll drop it in your inbox.

Thanks for reading Deal Lift.
Here’s to building brands that scale by meaningfully connecting people.

— Deal Lift