Swedish startup Handiscover secures €1.6 million to help physically disabled travelers find the right lodging

Swedish travel tech startup Handiscover, which provides an accommodation booking platform for people with special needs, has secured €1.6 million in grant funding from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator. The company qualified for ‘blended funding’, which means that along with the grant, there will be a negotiation around a Series A with the European Investment Bank and some professional investors. The Malmö-based startup has developed a booking platform and online community for travelers that have disabilities and reduced mobility, which Handiscover says is about 15-20 percent of the travelling population. Users can browse places to stay, read travel guides, and even offer their own homes as a host. The platform uses a classification system so that travellers can select accommodation based on their needs. Holiday properties, such as hotels and Airbnbs, are assessed for their accessibility, certified by Handiscover, and entered into a database. In a press release, the startup says it has certified 35,000 properties in over 100 countries, accumulating “unique accessibility and disability data in Europe and internationally”. With the new financing, CEO Sebastien Archambeaud said the Swedish startup will focus on product development and market readiness, “to continue making the lives of anyone with disabilities or special needs easier”. The EIC accelerator (previously known as SME Instrument) is part of the EIC pilot and was announced last December. In total, the program is investing €278 million in 75 companies across Europe.