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'''Airbnb''' is an online service that matches people seeking [[vacation rental]]s and other short-term accommodations with those with rooms to rent, generally private parties that are not professional hoteliers. |
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{{Advert|date=June 2011}} |
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'''Airbnb''' is a web company that provides rents and accommodations from strangers all over the world. It is similar to [[Couchsurfing]], except it is not free. |
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== History == |
== History == |
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Airbnb was started in August 2008 by Brian Chesky |
Airbnb was started in August 2008 by Brian Chesky, who was inspired by observing how hard it was to find an apartment in San Francisco.<ref name="how">[http://bchesky.posterous.com/how-airbnb-started-because-of-an-apartment posterous.com]</ref> The company was [[business incubator|incubated]] at the [[Y Combinator]]. In its first year the company began internationalizing and opened several new offices in Europe.<ref>[http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/9051978c-8baf-11e0-a725-00144feab49a.html ft.com]</ref> |
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⚫ | Touted as a "disruptive" innovation for the Hotel Industry,<ref>[http://techcrunch.com/2011/06/11/fred-wilson-on-disruption-tctv/ techcrunch.com]</ref> Airbnb was awarded the "breakout app" at the 2011 [[South by Southwest]] conference.<ref>[http://laughingmeme.org/2011/03/17/airbnb-was-the-breakout-app-at-sxsw-2011/ techcrunch.com]</ref> |
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Airbnb has already begun internationalizing and has opened several new offices in Europe.<ref>[http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/9051978c-8baf-11e0-a725-00144feab49a.html ft.com]</ref> |
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Airbnb has been touted as a disruptive innovation for the Hotel Industry.<ref>[http://techcrunch.com/2011/06/11/fred-wilson-on-disruption-tctv/ techcrunch.com]</ref> |
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== Financials == |
== Financials == |
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Major investors in Airbnb include [[Andreessen Horowitz]] and [[Digital Sky Technologies]] . Airbnb has grown by 800% in 2010 alone and has already booked 1.6 million night stays. Airbnb's valuation has been estimated at 1 billion dollars.<ref>[http://venturebeat.com/2011/05/30/airbnb-raising-100-million-round/ venturebeat.com]</ref><ref>[http://gawker.com/5807189/did-airbnb-scam-its-way-to-1-billion gawker.com]</ref><ref>[http://techcrunch.com/2011/05/30/airbnb-has-arrived-raising-mega-round-at-a-1-billion-valuation/ techcrunch.com]</ref> |
Major investors in Airbnb include [[Andreessen Horowitz]] and [[Digital Sky Technologies]] . Airbnb has grown by 800% in 2010 alone and has already booked 1.6 million night stays. Airbnb's valuation has been estimated at 1 billion dollars.<ref>[http://venturebeat.com/2011/05/30/airbnb-raising-100-million-round/ venturebeat.com]</ref><ref>[http://gawker.com/5807189/did-airbnb-scam-its-way-to-1-billion gawker.com]</ref><ref>[http://techcrunch.com/2011/05/30/airbnb-has-arrived-raising-mega-round-at-a-1-billion-valuation/ techcrunch.com]</ref> [[Ashton Kutcher]] also invested in Airbnb.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/disrupt-backstage-pass-ashton-kutcher-on-why-he-invested-in-airbnb/2011/05/30/AGb4CqEH_story.html washingtonpost.com]</ref> |
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[[Ashton Kutcher]] has also invested in Airbnb as reported by [[Washington Post]].<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/disrupt-backstage-pass-ashton-kutcher-on-why-he-invested-in-airbnb/2011/05/30/AGb4CqEH_story.html washingtonpost.com]</ref> |
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== Reception == |
== Reception == |
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Airbnb has been praised by [[Paul Graham]]<ref>[http://www.paulgraham.com/airbnb.html paulgraham.com]</ref> |
Airbnb has been praised by [[Paul Graham]],<ref>[http://www.paulgraham.com/airbnb.html paulgraham.com]</ref> [[Wall Street Journal]],<ref>[http://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2011/02/14/airbnb-goes-through-pivots-aplenty-before-finding-its-space/ wsj.com]</ref> and UK's [[Daily Telegraph]].<ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/8397476/Airbnb-the-website-that-wants-to-help-you-rent-your-spare-room.html telegraph.co.uk]</ref> |
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Airbnb has been praised by UK's [[Daily Telegraph]].<ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/8397476/Airbnb-the-website-that-wants-to-help-you-rent-your-spare-room.html telegraph.co.uk]</ref> |
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Airbnb has been favorably compared with [[Craigslist]] and [[Groupon]]. It has been said that |
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Airbnb has been favorably compared with [[Craigslist]] and [[Groupon]], other sites that provide spur-of-the-moment rentals.<ref>[http://news.yahoo.com/s/digitaltrends/20110606/tc_digitaltrends/howairbnbstolethestartupspotlight yahoo.com]</ref> |
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== Criticism == |
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== See also == |
== See also == |
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[[Category:Y Combinator Portfolio]] |
[[Category:Y Combinator Portfolio]] |
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[[Category:Companies based in San Francisco, California]] |
[[Category:Companies based in San Francisco, California]] |
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[[Category:Travel websites]] |
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[[Category:Vacation rental]] |
Revision as of 19:47, 21 June 2011
Airbnb is an online service that matches people seeking vacation rentals and other short-term accommodations with those with rooms to rent, generally private parties that are not professional hoteliers.
History
Airbnb was started in August 2008 by Brian Chesky, who was inspired by observing how hard it was to find an apartment in San Francisco.[1] The company was incubated at the Y Combinator. In its first year the company began internationalizing and opened several new offices in Europe.[2]
Touted as a "disruptive" innovation for the Hotel Industry,[3] Airbnb was awarded the "breakout app" at the 2011 South by Southwest conference.[4]
Following Airbnb, other services such as Getaround, Vayable and Taskrabbit launched with a similar model.[5]
Financials
Major investors in Airbnb include Andreessen Horowitz and Digital Sky Technologies . Airbnb has grown by 800% in 2010 alone and has already booked 1.6 million night stays. Airbnb's valuation has been estimated at 1 billion dollars.[6][7][8] Ashton Kutcher also invested in Airbnb.[9]
Reception
Airbnb has been praised by Paul Graham,[10] Wall Street Journal,[11] and UK's Daily Telegraph.[12]
Airbnb has been favorably compared with Craigslist and Groupon, other sites that provide spur-of-the-moment rentals.[13]
Airbnb was criticised for spamming Craigslist users.[14]
See also
- Airbnb
- HomeAway
- CouchSurfing
References
External links
- airbnb.com - official website