Company:Wanderu Inc.

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Wanderu Inc.
Wanderu-logo-stacked.jpg
Type of site
Privately held company
FoundedFebruary 27, 2012; 12 years ago (2012-02-27)
HeadquartersBoston, Massachusetts , United States
Area servedNorth America
Europe
Key peoplePolina Raygorodskaya, CEO
Igor Bratnikov, COO
IndustryTravel
Technology
Websitewww.wanderu.com

Wanderu Inc. is a ground and air travel metasearch engine that operates throughout North America and Europe. It provides a search and booking platform for buses, trains, flights, and ferries through its website and mobile app. Founded in 2012, Wanderu is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts .

History

Foundation

Wanderu was founded in February 2012 by Igor Bratnikov and Polina Raygorodskaya[1] while they were part of GreenXC, an organization intended to raise awareness for national parks and forests throughout the United States .[2] The pair met while they were teenagers at a Russian-language after-school program.[1] They conceived of the idea after a ride share cancelled on them and they had a difficult time finding a bus.[3] Craig Lentzsch, former CEO of Greyhound, became an advisor to the company.[4]

The company gained 20,000 user sign-ups while in beta.[5] On August 12, 2013, Wanderu.com officially launched to the public, covering bus, train travel, and ferries within the Northeastern United States.[4][1]

Growth in North America

In August 2013, the company raised $2.45 million in a funding round led by Alta Ventures.[6] Investors included Jeff Clarke, chairman of Orbitz.[6][1] At the time, the company had partnerships with companies such as BoltBus, Go Buses, Concord Coach Lines, and Trailways of New York.[5]

In May 2014, Wanderu announced a partnership with Greyhound. As a result, Wanderu acquired nationwide coverage.[7]

In November 2014, the company raised $5.6 million in series A funding.[4][8][9][10]

In February 2015, Wanderu released a smartphone application for iOS devices, followed by the release an Android version in March 2015.[8][11]

In April 2015, Wanderu signed a partnership with Amtrak. As a result, Wanderu’s coverage increased to over 90% of the U.S. reachable by ground.[12]

Wanderu partnered with bus companies Grupo Senda and Tufesa in November 2015 to offer trips to multiple destinations across Mexico, as well as options for cross-border travel between Mexico and the United States.[13]

In February 2016, Wanderu announced a partnership with VIA Rail, an intercity passenger rail service in Canada .[14]

Expansion to Europe

In January 2017, Wanderu expanded into Europe, launching service to more than 1,000 destinations across more than 20 countries, including Germany , France , Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland , and United Kingdom , among other places.[15][16]

In Europe, Wanderu partnered over 160 bus and train travel providers, including Flixbus, OUIBUS, and National Express.[15][16]

In October 2019, through a partnership with Kayak.com, Wanderu added flights alongside bus and train travel options, allowing users to find and compare bus, train and plane trips to North America and European destinations.[17] The company also partnered with flight-data provider Skyscanner.[1]

Technology

Wanderu is an aggregator that allows travelers to find and compare bus, train and flight options all in the same search.[17] After selecting start and end points and date and time preferences, Wanderu's search engine generates listings which can be filtered by price, duration, and other amenities like access to WiFi.[6] The user is then redirected to the provider's website for booking.[6]

Recognition

Wanderu was a finalist of MassChallenge in the summer of 2012[18] and an original member of PayPal's Start Tank in Boston.[19]

In February 2013, Wanderu won the South by Southwest Accelerator Grand Prize in the Innovative Web Technology category.[20]

In February 2015, Wanderu a top three finalist at Richard Branson’s Extreme Tech Challenge.[21] Time (magazine) named the Wanderu app as one of its favorite iPhone apps for the week of February 19, 2015,[22] USA Today named it one of the top budget travel apps of 2015,[23] and CNet called it one of the best apps for booking travel.[24]

In November 2016, Inc. Magazine named Wanderu one of the top 15 companies of 2016.[25]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Henry, Zoe. "She Came to America When She Was 4. Now the Company She Started Makes More Than $100 Million a Year". https://www.inc.com/magazine/201710/zoe-henry/wanderu-polina-raygorodskaya.html. 
  2. ↑ "US Forest Service Helps Young Adults Bring Awareness to National Forests Though a Cross-Country Adventure". United States Department of Agriculture. February 21, 2017. https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2011/07/07/us-forest-service-helps-young-adults-bring-awareness-national-forests-though. 
  3. ↑ Michonski, Laura (2012-11-07). "Is the Golden Age of Ground Transportation Near? | Budget Travel's Blog | Travel Deals, Travel Tips, Travel Advice, Vacation Ideas". Budgettravel.com. http://www.budgettravel.com/blog/about-to-enter-golden-age-ground-transportation,12604/. Retrieved 2013-04-30. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Perez, Sarah (6 November 2014). "Just In Time For The Car-Less Generation, Bus And Train Ticket Aggregator Wanderu Raises $5.6M Series A". https://techcrunch.com/2014/11/06/just-in-time-for-the-car-less-generation-bus-and-train-ticket-aggregator-wanderu-raises-5-6m-series-a/. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Brooke, Eliza (2013-08-12). "To Match The Growing Number Of Ground Travelers, Startup Wanderu Launches A Kayak For Bus and Train Schedules" (in en-US). https://techcrunch.com/2013/08/12/to-match-the-growing-number-of-ground-travelers-startup-wanderu-launches-a-kayak-for-bus-and-train-schedules/. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Grant, Rebecca (2013-08-12). "'Kayak for buses and trains' Wanderu raises $2.45M from travel experts" (in en-US). https://venturebeat.com/entrepreneur/kayak-for-buses-and-trains-wanderu-raises-2-45m-from-travel-experts/. 
  7. ↑ Taub, Alexander. "Travel Startup Wanderu Lands A Partnership With Greyhound". Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/alextaub/2014/05/22/travel-startup-wanderu-lands-a-partnership-with-greyhound/. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Perez, Sarah (12 February 2015). "Wanderu Lets You Book Bus And Train Tickets From Your iPhone". https://techcrunch.com/2015/02/12/wanderu-lets-you-book-bus-and-train-tickets-from-your-iphone/. 
  9. ↑ Chapman, Lizette (2014-11-05). "Ground Travel Search Pioneer Wanderu Secures $5.6M Series A" (in en-US). Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. http://www.wsj.com/articles/DJFVW00120141105eab5b63am. 
  10. ↑ FinSMEs (2014-11-05). "Wanderu Raises $5.6M in Series A Funding" (in en-US). https://www.finsmes.com/2014/11/wanderu-raises-5-6m-in-series-a-funding.html. 
  11. ↑ Plautz, Jessica (6 May 2015). "Wanderu launches Android app for bus and train booking in the U.S.". http://mashable.com/2015/05/06/wanderu-app-android/. 
  12. ↑ "Bus and train travel comparison site Wanderu announces partnership with Amtrak" (in en). USA TODAY. https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/roadwarriorvoices/2015/04/29/bus-and-train-travel-comparison-site-wanderu-announces-partnership-with-amtrak/83077854/. 
  13. ↑ "Wanderu Expands Partnership with Turimex Internacional - Wanderu" (in en-US). Wanderu. 2015-11-18. https://www.wanderu.com/blog/wanderu-turimex-bus-from-usa-to-mexico/. 
  14. ↑ "Wanderu Partners with Leading Canadian Train Travel Provider VIA Rail - Wanderu". Wanderu. February 10, 2016. https://www.wanderu.com/blog/wanderu-canada-train-travel-via-rail-partnership/. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Find Cheap Train and Bus Fares Across Europe". Travel + Leisure. http://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-tips/ground-transportation/wanderu-europe. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Bus & Train Travel Search Platform Wanderu Launches in Europe". Wanderu. January 25, 2017. https://www.wanderu.com/blog/wanderu-bus-train-travel-launches-in-europe/. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Wanderu Adds Flights to Bus and Train Travel Search". Wanderu. October 16, 2019. https://www.wanderu.com/blog/wanderu-adds-flights/. 
  18. ↑ "Wanderu". MassChallenge. 2011-09-22. http://masschallenge.org/profile/wanderu. Retrieved 2013-04-30. 
  19. ↑ Home Job Board Blogs Deals Networking Calendar Directory (2013-03-01). "Recap from PayPal & StubHub's Office Opening Event [slideshow". VentureFizz. http://venturefizz.com/blog/recap-paypal-and-stubhubs-office-opening-event. Retrieved 2013-04-30. 
  20. ↑ Alspach, Kyle (March 14, 2013). "Wanderu wins at SXSW for Innovative Web". American City Business Journals. https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/startups/2013/03/wanderu-wins-at-sxsw-for-innovative-web.html. 
  21. ↑ Harris, David L. (January 14, 2015). "Wanderu named finalist in Richard Branson startup challenge". American City Business Journals. https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/startups/2015/01/wanderu-named-finalist-in-richard-bransonstartup.html. 
  22. ↑ Aciman, Alexander (February 19, 2015). "These Are Our Favorite iPhone Apps of the Week". Time (magazine). https://time.com/3714747/iphone-apps-snl/. 
  23. ↑ "10Best Readers' Choice: Best of budget travel" (in en). USA TODAY. https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/advice/2015/11/02/10best-readers-choice-budget-travel-winners/75028282/. 
  24. ↑ Rotter, Joshua (December 8, 2015). "Best apps for booking travel". CNET. https://download.cnet.com/news/best-apps-for-booking-travel/. 
  25. ↑ RAPIER, GRAHAM (November 16, 2016). "This Startup Wants to Drag Bus Travel Out of the Dark Ages--and It Just Might". Inc.. https://www.inc.com/graham-rapier/wanderu-2016-company-of-the-year-nominee.html. 

External links



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