HousingAnywhere

HousingAnywhere.com is an international online housing platform that focuses on the student housing market. The Rotterdam based start-up was founded in 2009 by a group of students including the primary founder Niels van Deuren at the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam.[1]

History

The student initiative Housing Anywhere (HousingAnywhere / HousingAnywhere.com) was conceptualised and introduced back in 2009. The initiative developed from a small student project to a global platform.[2] It began in 2009 when the founder, Niels van Deuren, was studying for a degree in International Business Administration at the Rotterdam School of Management. Included in his studies was a semester abroad at the National University of Singapore, through which he realised a problem and a gap in the market of student housing.[3] Van Deuren noticed the struggle to find housing in Singapore, and in the meantime, also trying to sublet his room in Rotterdam, and through this experience, the company Housing Anywhere was born.[3]

Growth and international expansion

Starting off on a small scale by seeking partnerships with Dutch universities, through which the university would promote the platform to their students, Housing Anywhere began to grow.[3] In 2011, the online platform began to expand internationally, by becoming active in a number of European countries, including Spain, France, Germany, and Denmark.[4] By 2015, Housing Anywhere was operating, through partnerships with universities, in countries outside of Europe, including Brazil,[5] Mexico,[6] and the United States.[7]

Funding and investments

In its infant stage, Housing Anywhere was solely funded by the subscription fee which universities paid for a membership.[8] In 2012, when Housing Anywhere began to grow rapidly, there was a need for more staff, and the founder, Van Deuren, experienced his first cash flow issues.[3] This led to the company's first funding round, in which Van Deuren raised €150,000.[9] In February 2015, Housing Anywhere received a $1 million investment from henQ Invest and two other investors.[10] The company said it hoped to raise $3 million euros by the end of 2016 via Venture Capital.[11]

Concept, product and business model

The business model of Housing Anywhere is based on the sharing economy.[8] Students going abroad, leaving an empty room in the city of their home university can advertise their room on the website, and students looking for a place can rent out these rooms via the platform.[12] Additionally, by establishing partnerships with universities around the world,[13] Housing Anywhere is able to create a network, in which the platform asks for a subscription or membership fee to join the network. Lastly, although using the platform is free for students,[14] when booking an accommodation, Housing Anywhere charges a booking fee for using their booking system.[8][15] This booking system includes a ‘not good, money back’ guarantee,[11] as a way to deal with scammers that might be on the platform.

Competitive industry

Housing Anywhere has been referred to as the Airbnb for short/mid-long term student housing.[3] What differentiates the two is their focus in the market. While Housing Anywhere focuses on longer term accommodation for students and more specifically international students, Airbnb focuses on vacation rental homes for shorter stay.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Saberi, Samir (2015-11-18). "Founder Niels van Deuren on Housing Anywhere's recipe for success: 'I believe in focus' [video]". StartupJuncture. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
  2. ↑ "About HousingAnywhere.com". Magnet.me. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Coleman, Alison. "Going Dutch: Sharing Economy Turns Student Project Into A Global Business". Retrieved 2016-08-22.
  4. ↑ "Housing Anywhere - henQ". Retrieved 2016-08-23.
  5. ↑ "PUCRS firma convênio de housing internacional | Eu Sou Famecos". portal.eusoufamecos.net. Retrieved 2016-08-23.
  6. ↑ Chihuahua, Universidad Autónoma de. "Housing Anywhere Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua". www.uach.mx. Retrieved 2016-08-23.
  7. ↑ "Housing options not affiliated with UCB | Berkeley Summer Sessions". summer.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 2016-08-23.
  8. 1 2 3 "Housing Anywhere". MT.nl. Retrieved 2016-08-24.
  9. ↑ "HousingAnywhere.com geeft studenten 'n dak boven hun hoofd". Telegraaf (in Dutch). 2015-06-03. Retrieved 2016-08-24.
  10. ↑ "Rental startup Housing Anywhere secures $1 million". StartupJuncture. 2015-02-11. Retrieved 2016-08-24.
  11. 1 2 "Hoe is het nu met... Starter van de Week Housing Anywhere?" (in Dutch). 2016-07-27. Retrieved 2016-08-25.
  12. ↑ "News". ESN Marseille. Retrieved 2016-08-25.
  13. ↑ "Information for Universities". HousingAnywhere. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
  14. ↑ "Private Accommodation - Housing Anywhere". WU (Vienna University of Economics and Business). Retrieved 2016-08-24.
  15. ↑ "HousingAnywhere.com". angel.co. Retrieved 2016-08-25.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/21/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.