Newport-based tech startup raises $14.2 million to expand marine docking website Dockwa, launch camp reservation platform.

NEWPORT – A Newport-based outdoor travel startup announced it will use $14.2 million in investment backing to expand its current marina docking reservation website and launch a similar platform for RV and campsites.

The outdoor travel software development corporation, The Wanderlust Group Inc., got its start in Newport. Created by former Newport Gulls player Mike Melillo in 2015, the corporation’s flagship website Dockwa collaborates with marinas to allow boaters to reserve docking spaces. 

Although the company has grown beyond Newport, Melillo said 75% of this new investment money comes from Newport County, whether it be from individuals, investment professionals or companies.

"It’s important to me ... how much the community has embraced us and wanted us to be successful, both from the local business but also from the families and investors that are in these communities,” Melillo said. “We’re really proud that we started here and we’re excited to continue to grow here.”

The lion's share of the money raised will go toward expanding Dockwa and Marinas.com, the Yelp-like marina review website Wanderlust bought in 2017, both of which saw a profitable summer 2020. Melillo attributes this growth to the COVID-19 pandemic and the increase in alternative forms of travel. 

“What COVID really did was limit the number of things people could socially and responsibly engage with during their free time,” Melillo said. “Boating and RVs were two that were able to be practiced.”

Melillo said he wants to use the money to increase what transactions marinas and boaters can conduct through Dockwa. Eventually, he said he wants Dockwa to be the central hub for marinas and boaters to connect with each other, and facilitate all possible transactions that need to occur between marinas and boaters. 

Although originally created for marine recreation in New England, Dockwa has expanded to marinas outside of Newport. Melillo said the company noticed a few marinas with attached RV parks and campsites were finding ways to use the website for camping reservations as well. While this is against Dockwa policy, Melillo said he saw this as a sign to create a similar platform for camping.

“We were pleasantly surprised to see the utility of the tool because it was clearly not in our original plans when we built this,” Melillo said. 

Part of the investment money will go toward creating this campsite reservation platform, called Campouts, which The Wanderlust Group expects to launch in 2021.