“Future Lanes” is a special WiT Podcast series powered by Meili, a tech company that is rewriting the rules of ancillary distribution. The series, covering six episodes, is all about getting direct – cutting through the noise with unfiltered conversations on what’s shaping the next decade of travel. No fluff – just straight, feisty talk about what it takes to find your future lane in travel.
Listen to Episode 1:
“Scale and volume help you kill smaller competitors. But ultimately, disruptive technology can always kill a giant, and we killed giants in our last business, and we’re going to kill them again in this business, simply because we have a disruptive stack that is just impossible for the big guys to copy.” – Bobby Healy, Co-founder, Meili
In the competitive world of travel technology, Irish entrepreneurs, Bobby Healy and Mike McGearty, are making waves with their latest venture, Meili. Founded in Dublin in 2021, Meili is setting out to disrupt the global car rental industry by enabling direct connections between car partners and customers. Their mission? To eliminate intermediaries and deliver a seamless, frictionless car rental experience.
The startup is already live with nearly 40 customers, including airlines, train operators, hotel groups, and super-apps. By leveraging advanced AI and a proprietary tech stack, Meili is redefining ancillary distribution while building on decades of domain expertise.
“We’re rewriting the rules,” says McGearty, the company’s CEO. “For too long, the car rental industry has relied on intermediaries like OTAs. Our platform allows car rental companies to engage directly with travelers, providing a more personalized experience while maintaining control over their products.”
From allies to founders: A winning partnership
Healy and McGearty have a long history of building businesses together. Their previous venture, CarTrawler, revolutionized the car rental distribution market by connecting car rental companies with OTAs. Now, they’re taking a different approach.
“We disrupted the market once before, but the model we built then doesn’t serve today’s needs,” says Healy. “With Meili, we’re creating a clean, natural marketplace where suppliers can differentiate themselves, and customers get a better experience.”
The key to their success lies in their complementary skill sets. While McGearty excels in management and leadership, Healy thrives in tech innovation. “It’s like a good cocktail,” Healy quips. “You need both the alcohol and the juice.”
Their combined domain expertise spans decades, which has enabled Meili to hit the ground running. “We know the pain points of airlines, car rental companies, and other stakeholders,” says McGearty. “We’re building a product that addresses those needs directly.”
A new era of car rental distribution
Meili’s core focus is disrupting the $100 billion car rental industry. Unlike traditional OTAs that commoditize car rental products, Meili highlights the unique offerings of each provider such as loyalty programs, ancillary products like insurance, and premium customer service options.
“Our tech stack allows suppliers to retain their identity and deliver a better experience,” explains Healy. “For example, a loyalty member booking through an airline’s platform can seamlessly redeem points for a car rental, something OTAs don’t prioritize.”
This direct model benefits all parties:
- Travelers get a personalized, transparent booking process.
- Car rental partners retain control of their branding and products.
- Airlines and travel customersenhance loyalty engagement while earning ancillary revenue.
According to McGearty, Meili has already proven its success with impressive conversion rates and customer satisfaction metrics. “We’re delivering far greater results than the legacy systems we’re replacing,” he says.
The role of timing and technology
What makes Meili’s disruption possible now? Two words: timing and technology.
“Fifteen years ago, the tools simply weren’t there,” says Healy. “Today, we have AI, scalable cloud computing, and the ability to process vast amounts of data at low costs. This allows us to build a solution that’s smarter, faster, and cheaper than anything before.”
Healy also points out that incumbents – like OTAs and legacy systems – are often too entrenched in their existing models to adapt quickly. “The big players can’t pivot without cannibalizing their existing revenue streams. That’s where startups like us come in.”
Meili is already leveraging cutting-edge tools like large language models (LLMs) and AI to normalize and aggregate fragmented data from suppliers. This enables the platform to deliver customized displays that cater to individual traveler preferences—whether it’s selecting the perfect child car seat or bundling insurance options tailored to their needs.
The bigger picture: What’s next for Meili?
While Meili’s current focus is car rental, its technology stack has the potential to expand into other verticals like hotels and mobility services. “The same principles apply,” says McGearty. “We’re aggregating complex travel data and creating a better customer experience. It’s not limited to car rental.”
But for now, the co-founders are laser-focused on their niche, leveraging their industry relationships and expertise to grow their footprint. “We’re already working with some of the biggest names in travel,” McGearty notes. “And the feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive.”
The Dublin advantage
Based in Dublin, Meili is capitalizing on Ireland’s reputation as a global hub for travel tech innovation. With major players like Google, OpenAI, and Facebook maintaining operations in the city, Dublin boasts a deep talent pool and startup-friendly environment.
“There’s no better place for a tech startup,” says Healy. “The engineering talent here is world-class, and the cost base is still competitive compared to the U.S.”
However, McGearty acknowledges that European startups face challenges in accessing capital compared to their U.S. counterparts. “That’s why having the right investors and partners is so critical,” he says. Meili’s backers include prominent U.S. venture capital firms, giving the company the financial stability to focus on scaling.
The future of travel distribution
Meili’s success comes at a time when the travel industry is grappling with significant change. Travelers increasingly value direct relationships with service providers, while loyalty programs remain a powerful driver of engagement.
“The OTAs have dominated for years, but their value proposition is waning,” says McGearty. “With Meili, we’re not trying to replace them entirely – we’re creating an alternative for those who want a direct, frictionless experience.”
For Healy, the mission is clear: “We’ve disrupted this industry before, and we’ll do it again. The future of travel is about personalization, transparency, and removing unnecessary friction. Meili is built for that future.”
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