Instant gratification has a whole new meaning when it comes to travel and that’s because Welcome is the AI-powered platform that generates a personalized itinerary in real time, leveraging technology to minimize the time spent planning. Itineraries are smart and adaptive, changing depending on variables that include time of day, weather, and personal preferences. Welcome’s platform is completely free for users and suggestions become more personalized as users add to their wish lists and follow specific friends, travel writers, and brands.
LA TechWatch spoke with founder Matthew Rosenberg about the limitless potential for vacations through the Welcome platform, the company’s future plans, and recent round of funding.
Who were your investors and how much did you raise?
We have raised $1.2M in a pre-seed round led by 3 Rodeo.
Tell us about the service that Welcome offers.
Welcome is an AI-powered platform helping travelers effortlessly discover new and interesting places. We use machine learning to take the work out of planning, so once users arrive at their destination, they can be spontaneous through flexible, instantly generated itineraries that shift depending on likes/dislikes, time of day, weather, and more. Welcome’s suggestions become smarter as users add to their wish lists and follow specific friends, travel writers, and brands.
What inspired you to start Welcome.
I spent a year living out of a carry-on suitcase. It was an amazing experience, and I am very grateful I had the freedom to do that. I often found myself in a hotel room, or café, researching where to go and planning out our days only to have everything change once we arrived. We realized that we were losing valuable travel time by looking up activities and events, copying them into spreadsheets, or writing down notes on pieces of paper. As I looked for solutions, I found out we weren’t alone – according to a recent Google study, 85% of leisure travelers decide on activities only after having arrived at their destination.
How is Welcome different?
Welcome is the first app to focus on personalized travel in real time. All the itinerary apps on the market right now are just as much work as planning your trip manually, or they provide rigid unrealistic itineraries. The majority of travelers don’t want to hire a travel agent, even if it’s an app-based agent like Journy or Noken. Welcome gives personalized recommendations in real time to save travelers the hassles that accompany these competitors.
What market is Welcome targeting and how big is it?
As we launch Welcome, we are focused on the 20 million English-speaking travelers who prefer to be spontaneous and do minimal planning.
What’s your business model?
Welcome is free to users, and we pride ourselves on also being an ad-free platform. The results we recommend are personalized to you and not influenced by advertisements. As we continue to aggregate millions of users looking for something to do right now, we plan on pursuing opportunities to partner with businesses in a variety of ways. We are currently focusing on building our user base and database of recommendations, and we will share monetization plans in the future.
Welcome is free to users, and we pride ourselves on also being an ad-free platform. The results we recommend are personalized to you and not influenced by advertisements. As we continue to aggregate millions of users looking for something to do right now, we plan on pursuing opportunities to partner with businesses in a variety of ways. We are currently focusing on building our user base and database of recommendations, and we will share monetization plans in the future.
What was the funding process like?
Fundraising is like taking a road trip from LA to NYC and back and only eating McDonald’s.
What are the biggest challenges that you faced while raising capital?
There is a lot of skepticism regarding the travel space from people who have been in the game for a while, but there is also a lot of excitement with younger investors.
There have been so many companies focused on improving travel. Why will yours win?
We have a completely different way of viewing travel. There is a generational shift in the way people travel due to cultural and technological changes. One of the biggest shifts has been due to the popularization of smartphones and cheap international data. We wanted to combine the utility of a very smart, AI-driven platform with a fun, playful social experience.
We think by powering Welcome from the friends and experts you trust combined with machine learning, we will change the way people think about how they travel.
What factors about your business led your investors to write the check?
Our team is made up of consumer technology veterans. Most of us previously worked at Vimeo together, and before that the Apple award-winning app Cameo (which was acquired by Vimeo). I think our experience and technical expertise inspired confidence in our investors.
What are the milestones you plan to achieve in the next six months?
Right now, we are focused on making Welcome as personalized as possible. This will include a lot of exciting updates to the app. When we’re ready to share specifics, I’ll let you know!
What advice can you offer companies in Los Angeles that do not have a fresh injection of capital in the bank?
Hang in there.
Where do you see the company going now over the near term?
Over the near-term, we are focused on building our user base and our database of information to help make recommendations more accurate and personalized.
The more people get on the app and suggest their own travel tips to their network, the more helpful Welcome’s itineraries will be to travelers.
The more people get on the app and suggest their own travel tips to their network, the more helpful Welcome’s itineraries will be to travelers.
What is your favorite restaurant in LA?
Impossible question. I live in Venice so there are a handful of restaurants we live at, but one of my favorites is the taco stand on Lincoln in front of Whole Foods. That to me is the quintessential LA place to eat.
