Rocket Internet alums raise funding for Airbnb management startup

Photo credit: Allie Michelle.

GuestReady, a management service for the sharing economy, announced today that it has secured US$775,000 in additional angel funding.

The round was led by Swiss Founders Fund (SFF) with participation by Senn & Partner Holding and Georg Bauser, who’s a former director at Airbnb. SFF also lead the original angel investment round.

GuestReady’s trying to make Airbnb rentals closer to standardized rooms found in hotels. It manages properties on behalf of the hosts, including cleaning, laundry, check-in/out, and site optimization.

The startup’s additional cash will be used to hone in on product development as well as to grow the team. It’s already present in Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, London, Paris, and Amsterdam with more to be added soon.

“We’re focused on urban areas rather than holiday destinations and look at cities where there is high hotel occupancy […] We assess new markets on that scale and do not limit ourselves to a specific region,” says Lou Chan, managing director.

Rocket mafia

GuestReady, launched in August, is headed by a team of eight founders. Six of them were previously associated with Rocket Internet, spanning roles at Foodpanda, Zalora, and Kaymu. Lou’s also part of this clique. He previously worked at Wimdu, Rocket’s Airbnb clone.

The startup makes money by charging a commission for each booking it gleans on behalf of a host. There’s additional fees for cleaning and laundry. Lou doesn’t provide figures for growth, but says the team’s “doubled active properties since launch.”

Converted from Hong Kong dollars. Rate: US$1 = HK$7.76.