Airbnb, Inc.

Airbnb, Inc. is a leading online marketplace for booking accommodations and experiences in 191 countries around the world. Established in 2008 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, Airbnb has grown from a platform for hosts to offer stays and experiences to travelers, to a community of 4 million hosts, who have received more than 800 million guests in their homes. Airbnb’s almost two million listings and more than two million experiences offer travelers a wide range of accommodation options, from shared spaces and private room in family homes to entire apartments, villas, and castles.

Airbnb has developed a number of tools to facilitate a deeper connection between hosts and guests, such as its Host Guarantee, an insurance policy designed to cover property damage and other untoward incidents caused by guests. Airbnb also offers its hosts and guests a number of services, including, but not limited to, payment processing, payment protection, customer support, and communication with hosts.

In addition to the private services it offers to individuals, Airbnb also helps companies reduce their travel costs by providing more affordable and flexible corporate travel solutions. Its Corporate Travel platform, for example, allows employers to book and manage employee travel, compare pricing and availability for different accommodations, and ensure compliance with corporate travel policies. Airbnb also offers business travel solutions for employers, such as an in-app booking tool, a corporate account dashboard, and a rewards program.

Since its launch, Airbnb has secured investments from a number of venture capital firms and high profile investors, including Founders Fund, Sequoia Capital, and Andreessen Horowitz, as well as celebrities and other business leaders. In 2019, the company closed its Series F funding round, raising $1 billion in equity and debt. The round valued Airbnb at $38 billion, making it the most highly-valued private tech firm in the U.S. at the time.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Airbnb announced a number of measures to support its community of hosts, guests and employees, including a global cancellation policy that allows guests to cancel their reservations without penalty and receive a full refund, and a $250 million relief fund to support hosts and employees. The company also launched its Enhanced Cleaning Protocol, urging hosts to use enhanced cleaning and disinfection procedures in their listings.