Skift Take
Virtually each week, a short-term rental platform or ancillary software program service stories that it has raised hundreds of thousands. It’s nearly like there’s a rising demand for his or her companies. There have been two this week, and the star is Barcelona-based Ukio.
>>Ukio, a Barcelona-based short-term rental platform centered on distant employees, has raised $28 million (€27 million) in a Collection A spherical of funding.
It consists of $17.6 million (€17 million) in fairness and $10.4 million (€10 million) in debt, led by Felix Capital with help from Kreos Capital, Heartcore, and Breega. Ukio raised $9 million in 2021.
The Ukio platform permits customers to e book one of many startup’s greater than 500 furnished flats in European cities together with Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon, and Berlin. The corporate mentioned its properties have 96 p.c occupancy. Tenants often e book stays for between one and 6 months.
The startup mentioned it has grown its income seven instances in 2022 from the earlier 12 months and now has 120 workers.
The funding will enable Ukio to broaden into extra European cities within the coming months, together with Paris, Dublin, Milan, and London. The startup will proceed hiring and additional construct out its proprietary software program with options together with an automatic month-to-month rental subscription.
The startup additionally plans to develop a business-to-business service for worldwide companies.
Every Ukio house is furnished by native designers with gadgets from eco-friendly suppliers, the corporate mentioned. Further companies for company embrace cleansing, fitness center memberships, and native occasions.
Ukio was based by brothers Jeremy Fourteau — a former product director at Headspace, Knotel, and EA — and Stanley Fourteau, former head of worldwide development for Airbnb.
“We based Ukio to be the go-to answer for a brand new era of versatile employees,” Stanley Fourteau mentioned in an announcement. “The rise in distant work is unshackling individuals from their desks, enabling them to expertise extra of the world, and they’re utilizing this chance to dwell and work wherever they need. But, the residential actual property market has stayed caught up to now and is under no circumstances conducive to the wants of tomorrow’s era.”
Stanley Fourteau shared a few of his vision with Skift final 12 months.
>>Raus, a platform that provides short-term stays in trendy cabins, has raised $3.1 million (€3 million).
The funding was led by 10X Founders with participation from Shio Capital, Bellevue Holding GmbH, Boscor group, Ennea VC, Speedinvest, NFQ Capital, Airbnb co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk, and different angel traders.
The Germany-based startup has raised greater than €6 million.
With properties positioned in distant areas, the platform focuses on nature immersion for company. The fashionable cabins are full with a full kitchen and wi-fi.
Greater than 2,000 company have stayed with Raus because it was based in Oct. 2021.
The corporate has roughly two dozen properties close to 5 German cities proper now, with plans to broaden. The corporate not too long ago opened the Raus Lodge, a bigger construction meant for teams.
Further companies for company embrace occasions like alpaca hikes, farm visits, and guided stargazing excursions, together with packages from native farms and connoisseur suppliers. So far, native companies have earned a mean of $1,556 monthly by working with Raus, the startup mentioned.
“The brand new financing will assist us to broaden additional and speed up the event of our platform for nature immersion on the identical time,” mentioned Julian Trautwein, co-founder and CEO of Raus.
| Firm | Stage | Lead | Elevate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ukio | Collection A | Felix Capital | $28 million |
| Raus | Unspecified | 10X Founders | $3.1 million |
Skift Cheat Sheet:
We outline a startup as an organization shaped to check and construct a repeatable and scalable enterprise mannequin. Few corporations meet that definition. The uncommon ones that do usually appeal to enterprise capital. Their funding rounds are available in waves.
Seed capital is cash used to start out a enterprise, usually led by angel traders and mates or household.
Collection A financing is usually drawn from enterprise capitalists. The spherical goals to assist a startup’s founders ensure that their product is one thing that prospects really need to purchase.
Collection B financing is especially about enterprise capitalist companies serving to an organization develop quicker. These fundraising rounds can help in recruiting expert employees and growing cost-effective advertising and marketing.
Collection C financing is ordinarily about serving to an organization broaden, reminiscent of by means of acquisitions. Along with VCs, hedge funds, funding banks, and personal fairness companies usually take part.
Collection D, E and past These primarily mature companies and the funding spherical could assist an organization put together to go public or be acquired. Quite a lot of forms of personal traders would possibly take part.
