Home rental platform Wander has launched with a $7 million round of funding.
The startup is launching with an initial portfolio of properties it owns across the U.S. in locations such as in Lake Tahoe and Bandon Dunes.
The investment is led by Redpoint Ventures and will go towards developing the platform and expanding the number of homes.
According to a blog post from founder John Andrew Entwistle Wander’s model is to own “the entire end-to-end customer experience - from the homes, to the booking, to the smart home technology.
He believes that the pandemic changed how people want to experience the world but says the “infrastructure to explore it hasn’t caught up with this new reality.”
Entwistle adds that a disappointing trip to a cabin in Colorado spurred him on to launch Wander as an “entirely new kind of travel experience that would allow you to seamlessly transition between work and play.”
Many believe the pandemic has blurred the lines between business and leisure travel further with employees often seeking a work from anywhere approach.
In addition, the trend to get away from cities and into more rural, open spaces has driven up interest in startups in this area.
Companies such as RVShare, Harvest Hosts and RVesy have raised significant funding during the pandemic.