Wander

Wander is a start-up company developing a platform that allows users to book smart-homes for a work trip, vacation, or anything in-between. Wander aims to build infrastructure to experience the world by hand-picking homes at beautiful locations and purchasing, improving, and managing the homes. The company was founded in 2021 by John Andrew Entwistle and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.

Wander, unlike other platform-based rental services such as Airbnb and Vrbo, owns all of the homes on its platform and has outfitted each home with features that guests are able to control through the Wander app. The app allows guests to unlock the door, turn on lights, and access a Tesla, which is included with each Wander home. The properties are considered vacation homes with good views, modern workstations, 1GB Wi-Fi included, hotel-grade cleaning, and 24/7 concierge services.

Many of the properties on Wander's platform are also open for short-term to medium-term rentals, marketed toward digital nomads searching for a reliable space to connect to work while being able to vacation. The properties can be paid for with cryptocurrencies. Early adopters during the beta phase of the platform saw around 2,000 members, who pre-paid a $100 credit, allowing them to skip the waitlist. The company has surpassed 30,000 users on its waitlist.

Wander's Atlas is a vacation rental real estate investment trust (REIT) offered by Wander, allowing users to invest in and own a piece of Wander's network while offering a targeted 8 percent dividend to give investors passive income.

The Teams program allows corporations to purchase Wander credits at a discount and then redeem or distribute those credits as they choose. Wander offers vacation rentals for teams and corporate retreats, and companies can offer top employees a chance to take a vacation at a Wander location through its Teams program.

Wander also offers users a membership for USD $200 annually, which unlocks various benefits, including 5 percent off every time a rental location is booked, early access to new Wander properties, a limited edition hoodie, a 24/7 by 365 text-based Wander Concierge service, and exclusive offers from partners like Herman Miller and Eight Sleep.