Freebird Club Raises €500k in Pre-Seed Investment Round

Freebird Club, the innovative social travel and homestay club for older adults, has successfully raised €500,000 in pre-seed investment from Enterprise Ireland and Portuguese impact investor Ageas Foundation. This funding will accelerate Freebird Club’s mission to promote new social connections and enhance well-being among older adults through unique travel and social experiences.

The Freebird Club platform is designed to empower older adults to travel, connect, meet and stay with each other, as part of a trusted over 50s community. Freebird Club’s unique model combines social networking with travel, aiming to address the needs and aspirations of older adults who seek to explore new destinations, meet like-minded people, and enjoy enriching authentic experiences, by sharing them with peers. By offering a sociable homestay model, as well as innovative new ways to connect and meet other members, Freebird Club provides a social, safe and affordable alternative to traditional travel options for older adults.

With reportedly over 40% of older adults regularly feeling lonely, Freebird Club offers a solution that goes beyond travel. By creating opportunities for social interaction and connection, the club aims to combat loneliness and isolation, promoting well-being and a sense of community and belonging in later life.

Peter Mangan, Founder and CEO of Freebird Club said: “While travel is the medium, our main impact goal here is to provide an antidote to loneliness among the older demographic, whose world often shrinks as they age. Freebird Club shows that there is another way. We know travel is a leading aspiration among older adults, especially in retirement, but many perceive a social barrier to travelling, i.e. not having anyone to go with and lacking the confidence to travel alone. What we are trying to do is leverage the power of peers to help older adults mobilise and socialise in ways that can benefit health and wellbeing, while fulfilling their aspirations, and having fun doing it.” 

The investment will be instrumental in growing the Freebird Club team, scaling its operations, expanding its member base, and enhancing its platform to offer more enriching experiences for its community. Speaking about the investment, Founder Peter Mangan said: “We are immensely grateful for the support from Enterprise Ireland and the Ageas Foundation. This investment is a testament to the impact Freebird Club can make in the lives of older adults. With this funding, we can further our mission to create new connections and combat loneliness by providing meaningful travel and social opportunities in later life.”

Donnchadh Cullinan - ICT HPSU Manager, Enterprise Ireland, said, “Freebird is an innovative, ambitious company that is addressing an often unnoticed social need in modern society. Their solutions enable older adults to continue to enjoy new experiences of travel and adventure through a trusted and reliable platform. The company has set out a clear growth path and Enterprise Ireland is proud to be behind them on their start-up journey. We would like to congratulate Peter and the Freebird team on their achievements to date and we look forward to playing a role in their future growth.”

João Machado, President of the Ageas Foundation, highlighted the importance of this partnership: “Isolation and extreme loneliness are widely prevalent among older adults and there is strong evidence linking these issues to negative health outcomes. Freebird Club's platform addresses these challenges by connecting people centered around their travel aspirations. Portugal is a crucial market for a solution like Freebird, given the growing population of older adults and the country's appeal as a major tourism destination. We are excited to support Freebird's potential to foster connections among older adults within Portugal and across borders."

For more information about Freebird Club and its mission, please visit Freebird Club’s website: www.freebirdclub.com

Contact: Peter Mangan, Freebird Club 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-mangan-0a4b85b/

Email: peter@thefreebirdclub.com

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About Freebird Club: 

Freebird Club is a social travel and homestay club for older adults. It offers unique opportunities for members to connect, travel, share social experiences and homestays, as part of a trusted over 50s community. Founded with the mission to combat loneliness and social isolation, Freebird Club provides a platform for meaningful interactions and enriching travel experiences in later life. 

Founded by Kerryman Peter Mangan, who was inspired by his retired father’s interactions with senior guests at his holiday rental home in Kerry, Freebird Club originally launched in 2017 as a pioneering homestay club for older adults. It bootstrapped for several years with the help of grants and awards, including winning the 2 main competitions for social innovation in Europe (from the European Commission and the European Investment Bank), as well as winning the sustainability/impact award at the UNWTO Global Tourism Start-up Competition in 2019.

The pandemic was a perfect storm for Freebird Club. Social homestays for older adults became an untenable proposition for over 2 years. This led to a partial pivot; expanding its homestay model into a more holistic community platform with several new ways for members to connect and interact beyond just homestays. In late 2022, Freebird Club was selected for the Founders Factory/Nesta Mission Studio venture building programme in the UK, focused on healthy ageing and combatting loneliness. Following successful completion in 2023, Freebird Club 2.0 relaunched with spin-out investment of £200K, supplemented by a sizeable grant from UK Research and Innovation to pursue its healthy ageing mission.

Already with over 21,000 signups in 45 countries worldwide, Freebird Club is excited to see the early traction that suggests it can be a beacon for positive and active ageing globally, while opening up the world of travel and tourism to older adults, especially those who may otherwise refrain due to lack of companions or confidence to go alone.

About Enterprise Ireland: Enterprise Ireland is the government organiSation responsible for the development and growth of Irish enterprises in world markets. It provides funding and support to help Irish companies achieve their global ambitions.

About Ageas Foundation:  The Ageas Foundation is a Corporate Foundation that belongs to the Ageas Portugal Group, with IPSS (private social solidarity institution) and public utility status, bringing together people and partners. Created in 1998, the Foundation recently reviewed its strategy with the aim of initiating a new approach to Philanthropy, which encourages the growth of social innovation projects in the areas of “Health”, “Aging” and “Social Exclusion”. At the same time, the Foundation is deepening its Social Investment and Impact Investment policies, decentralizing its Volunteering initiatives and strengthening its footprint in training individuals and Social Economy entities. Find out more at: www.fundacaoageas.pt