Handiscover operates an accommodation booking platform and online community for travelers with disabilities and reduced mobility. The platform lets users browse certified holiday properties, read travel guides, and offer their own homes as hosts. Handiscover uses a classification system so travellers can select accommodation based on specific accessibility needs; properties are assessed, certified, and entered into a database. The startup says it has certified 35,000 properties in over 100 countries, accumulating unique accessibility and disability data. It secured €1.6 million in grant funding from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator and qualified for ‘blended funding’ that includes negotiation around a Series A with the European Investment Bank and professional investors. With the new financing the company plans to focus on product development and market readiness to continue making travel easier for people with disabilities. Handiscover is a two-sided marketplace that enables consumers to search for and book travel accommodation based on various accessibility needs. Originally launched in June 2015 by founder Sebastien Archambeaud, the platform began by letting hosts list properties and using Handiscover’s algorithm to classify accessibility of properties or rooms. The company created its own accessibility standard and uses an algorithm to classify accommodations according to their level of accessibility in a consumer-friendly way. Handiscover currently lists 28,000 properties and rooms across 83 countries. Its stated mission is to enable people with disabilities and special needs (15–20 percent of the population) to travel by offering a choice of adapted accommodations at different price levels. The company plans to scale supply and will soon be working with travel tech company Amadeus to increase the number of hotels listed. Handiscover has raised $700,000 in new funding.

Total raised

$2M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Grant

Latest activity

May 2020