The Wanderlust Group
(TWG), a technology provider for outdoor experience platforms, has closed a $30
million Series C funding round led by Thursday Ventures.
Founded in 2014, TWG
is the parent brand to Dockwa, which connects boaters and marinas, and Marinas.com,
a searchable marina directory. It is also preparing to launch Campouts, a
platform for campers and campsites.
The company says it
will use the funds to expand Dockwa to more marinas internationally and to develop
its technology so marinas can run every transaction through the platform.
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TWG says 2021 was
the strongest year in its history. Dockwa has hit the milestone of five million
stays booked on its platform, and the company says it is using that milestone
to launch a philanthropic initiative to support organizations that protect the
environment and create greater access to it. Dubbed The Wanderfund, it will launch
with $300,000 in invests this year.
“At The Wanderlust
Group, we are trying to better the world by getting people out in it,” says
Mike Melillo, co-founder and CEO.
“To do that, we need
a future that has clean oceans and protected forests. We need a reversal of
climate change and a generation of new adventurers and conservationists
dedicated to the outdoors. Investing in those causes is as central to our
business as investing in our product is.”
Says Ryan
McKillen, partner at Thursday Ventures, “It is rare to find a company so well
positioned to digitize an industry for the first time. The vibrant marketplaces
that are developing because of The Wanderlust Group cannot only improve the
industries they are in, they can expand the total addressable market. We’re
excited about this and the company’s vision of investing in the environment.”