15 Property Management Startups Backed by VC Funding
New hospitality brands with ambitious visions are redefining the short and mid-term rental landscape. Tech-powered startups are changing the game for both guests and property owners/investors – and this hasn’t gone unnoticed by VCs. Here are 15 of the hottest proptech and property management startups to watch.
The past year has been a testament to the recovery of investor confidence in the vacation rental industry.
Alongside innovative software companies, OTAs and niche channels, a wide range of property management companies secured VC funding to fuel their growth. See our latest roundup of vacation rental investment deals for an overview.
We love seeing young companies with an original vision and a dedication to transforming the industry for the better get new opportunities. So, we’ve rounded up 15 property management startups that have raised significant funding rounds in the past year or so.
Some manage short-term rentals in urban destinations, while others serve the demand for mid-term rentals that can be rented on a flexible basis. Note that this isn’t an exhaustive list but our pick of startups to watch.
Jump to: Zeus Living | Ukio | June Homes | Blueground | GuestReady | H2O Hospitality | Frontdesk | The Guild | Bob W | Mint House | Numa | Houst | Sonder | Limehome | Kasa Living
1. Zeus Living
Zeus Living manages furnished apartments for flexible stays across the US. The mid-term rental property management startup takes over all responsibilities from the homeowner, including furnishing, design and housekeeping.
Having started as a furnished rental company catering to relocated corporate travellers, Zeus Living now welcomes all types of mid-term guests.
In October 2021, Zeus Living raised $55 million in series C funding led by SIG to fuel its growth and improve its online platform. The company had previously raised a $55 million Series B round with the participation of Airbnb.
| Number of vacation rentals | 5,000+ | Locations | Single-country, multi-market |
| Based in | San Francisco, CA, USA | Property type | Urban apartments / multi-family buildings (30-day minimum stay) |
| Founded in | 2015 | Service | Full-service |
| Growth | Organic | Funding | Series C |
2. Ukio
Ukio, a young Spanish startup launched in 2020, offers furnished apartments for mid-term stays in Barcelona, Madrid and Lisbon. The properties have a unique, modern design and come with weekly cleaning and concierge services.
Riding the “work from home” wave, Ukio is responding to the demand for flexible rentals that serve as living spaces and home offices at the same time.
Ukio raised $9 million in a seed round led by Breega in September 2021. The company will use the funds to expand across multiple European markets and grow to 700 rentals by the end of 2022.
| Number of vacation rentals | 127 | Locations | Single-country, multi-market |
| Based in | Barcelona, Spain | Property type | Urban apartments (30-day minimum stay) |
| Founded in | 2020 | Service | Full-service |
| Growth | Organic | Funding | Seed |
3. June Homes
June Homes aims to change the way people rent apartments. The proptech startup offers flexible-term stays of 1-18 months in New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington DC and Philadelphia.
Junes Homes promises tenants 100% digital paperwork, contactless move-in and the opportunity to become a resident of a new city within 3 hours.
Until recently, the company’s funding status was shrouded in secrecy. Then, in September 2021, June Homes announced that it had raised $50 million in funding, including a $27 million Series B and a $13 million Series A round, as well as $10 million in seed funding.
| Number of vacation rentals | Undisclosed | Locations | Single-country, multi-market |
| Based in | New York, NY, USA | Property type | Urban apartments (30-day minimum stay) |
| Founded in | 2017 | Service | Full-service |
| Growth | Organic | Funding | Series B |
4. Blueground
Blueground offers handpicked homes for flexible-term rent in 7 countries and 15 cities across the globe, from North America to Europe and the Middle East.
The urban property management startup provides bespoke interior design, high-class amenities and a smooth and streamlined online experience for tenants.
To fuel its planned expansion to 50 cities around the world by 2025, Blueground raised $180 million in Series C funding at a valuation of $750 million.
| Number of vacation rentals | 5,000+ | Locations | Multi-country, multi-market |
| Based in | New York, NY, USA | Property type | Urban apartments / multi-family buildings (30-day minimum stay) |
| Founded in | 2013 | Service | Full-service |
| Growth | Organic | Funding | Series C |
5. GuestReady
GuestReady manages short-term rental properties in the UK, France, Portugal, Switzerland and the UAE. The startup takes all management tasks off the property investor’s or owner’s shoulders, including listing distribution, guest communication, cleaning, dynamic pricing and check-in management.
GuestReady has been aggressively growing through acquisitions in the past few years, rolling up players like the Porto Concierge and Oporto City Flats in Porto; Easy Rental Services in London; and We Stay and BnbLord in Paris.
Following a series A round in 2019, the company ran two hugely successful equity crowdfunding campaigns, one in November 2020 and the other in September 2021. During the latter campaign, GuestReady reached its crowdfunding goal of €1.5 million in just 24 hours.
| Number of vacation rentals | 2,500 | Locations | Multi-country, multi-market |
| Based in | Trogen, Switzerland | Property type | Urban apartments |
| Founded in | 2016 | Service | Full-service |
| Growth | Organic and acquisitions | Funding | Series A, equity crowdfunding |
6. H2O Hospitality
H2O Hospitality operates short-term rental apartments in Tokyo, Bangkok, Seoul and Busan. The company focuses on contactless operations and uses sophisticated technology to automate its processes.
In September, the property management startup raised $30 million in a Series C funding round led by Kakao Ventures. H2O Hospitality will use the funds to expand its business in South-East Asia.
| Number of vacation rentals | 7,500+ | Locations | Multi-country, multi-market |
| Based in | Tokyo, Japan | Property type | Urban apartments |
| Founded in | 2015 | Service | Full-service |
| Growth | Organic | Funding | Series C |
7. Frontdesk
Frontdesk is a tech-enabled urban property management startup with a presence in many cities across the US. As a next-generation hospitality brand, Frontdesk is reinventing the way people live, work and travel.
Earlier this year, Frontdesk raised $7 million in venture capital in a round led by Stormbreaker Ventures to grow both the management and technology sides of the company.
In our interview with Frontdesk Co-Founder and CPO Jesse DePinto, we learned that the company has plans to grow its portfolio to 1,500 units by the end of the year.
| Number of vacation rentals | 700+ | Locations | Single-country, multi-market |
| Based in | Milwaukee, WI, USA | Property type | Urban apartments / multi-family buildings |
| Founded in | 2017 | Service | Full-service |
| Growth | Organic | Funding | Series unknown |
8. The Guild
Short-term rental management startup The Guild offers upscale furnished apartments in the US cities of Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Miami and San Antonio.
Operating like an upgraded boutique hotel, The Guild manages apartments suitable for nightly, weekly and extended stays of over 30 days. All units come with digital concierge and housekeeping services.
Following a series B round in 2020, The Guild raised $17.1 million in equity and securities options from 91 investors earlier this year.
| Number of vacation rentals | 800+ | Locations | Single-country, multi-market |
| Based in | Austin, TX, USA | Property type | Urban apartments / multi-family buildings |
| Founded in | 2016 | Service | Full-service |
| Growth | Organic | Funding | Series B, equity and securities options |
9. Bob W
Bob W offers tech-driven apartments with hotel-like features that can be rented for short to mid-term in Helsinki, Tallin and Madrid.
The property management startup prides itself on its unique mix of contactless solutions and curated interiors by local designers and artists.
In April 2021, Bob W added €6 million to an earlier seed round where they had secured €4 million in funding. The funds will be used to develop the company’s tech platform, speed up recruitment and drive the company’s expansion into new European markets.
| Number of vacation rentals | 23 | Locations | Multi-country, multi-market |
| Based in | Helsinki, Finland | Property type | Urban apartments / multi-family buildings |
| Founded in | 2018 | Service | Full-service |
| Growth | Organic | Funding | Seed |
10. Mint House
The tech-focused property management startup Mint House provides high-end, apartment-style accommodations for business travellers in downtown neighbourhoods of US cities.
Mint House apartments combine the comfort of a home with the luxury of a modern hotel, with every part of the experience powered by smart technology.
In March 2021, Mint House announced that it had secured $18 million in investment. The funds will be put towards improving the guest experience, developing the company’s arsenal of in-demand contactless services and scaling its operations.
| Number of vacation rentals | 500+ | Locations | Single-country, multi-market |
| Based in | New York, NY, USA | Property type | Urban apartments / multi-family buildings |
| Founded in | 2017 | Service | Full-service |
| Growth | Organic | Funding | Series B, Seed |
11. Numa
Numa – formerly known as Cosi – combines the boutique hotel experience with the feel of a cosy home. The company offers apartments for short-term rent in European cities like Berlin, Vienna, Frankfurt, Barcelona and Florence.
Next to providing property management services, the startup also develops advanced technology solutions for the real estate and rental industries.
Numa recently acquired Friendly Rentals – with apartments in Barcelona, Valencia and Seville – previously owned by Awaze. In addition, the startup raised €20 million in series A funding to further accelerate its European expansion.
| Number of vacation rentals | 750+ | Locations | Multi-country, multi-market |
| Based in | Berlin, Germany | Property type | Urban apartments |
| Founded in | 2019 | Service | Full-service |
| Growth | Organic and acquisitions | Funding | Series A |
12. Houst
Formerly known as Airsorted, Houst offers professionally managed flexible lettings around the world. For property owners, Houst develops advanced proprietary technology that streamlines operational tasks and helps to optimise listing distribution.
Houst expanded its portfolio by a great deal through the acquisition of fellow property management startup Hostmaker in March 2020.
As part of its growth efforts, Houst raised an undisclosed amount of funding from proptech venture capital firm Realty Corporation Ltd in early 2021.
| Number of vacation rentals | 6,100 | Locations | Multi-country, multi-market |
| Based in | London, UK | Property type | Urban apartments |
| Founded in | 2015 | Service | Full-service |
| Growth | Organic and acquisitions | Funding | Series unknown |
13. Sonder
Sonder is one of the fastest-growing short-term rental property management startups today. The company offers rooms and apartments for rent in more than 35 cities around the world, operating like a new-age hotel.
With technology at the forefront, Sonder’s spaces are modern and efficient, while providing a personalized and seamless experience.
In the summer of 2020, Sonder closed a $170 million Series E round, bringing its valuation to $1.3 billion. By April 2021, the startup was planning to go public at a $2.2 billion valuation, which it has recently lowered to $1.925 billion.
| Number of vacation rentals | 5,000+ | Locations | Multi-country, multi-market |
| Based in | San Francisco, CA, USA | Property type | Urban apartments / multi-family buildings |
| Founded in | 2014 | Service | Full-service |
| Growth | Organic | Funding | Series E |
14. Limehome
Limehome offers high-quality design suites with high-speed internet, work-friendly furnishings and a fully-equipped kitchen as a modern alternative to hotels.
Currently, most of the startup’s accommodation units are in Germany, but it’s rapidly expanding into Spain.
Limehome raised €21 million as the first part of its series A funding round in early 2020, then added €10 million less than a year later.
| Number of vacation rentals | 1,000+ | Locations | Multi-country, multi-market |
| Based in | Munich, Germany | Property type | Urban apartments |
| Founded in | 2018 | Service | Full-service |
| Growth | Organic | Funding | Series A |
15. Kasa Living
Kasa Living helps property owners transform underutilised real estate into profitable vacation rental properties that cater to both business and leisure travellers.
The property management startup’s stylishly designed spaces ensure maximum cleanliness and 24-hour contactless services.
In October 2020, Kasa Living raised $30 million in Series B funding to improve its software and streamline its operations.
| Number of vacation rentals | 737 | Locations | Single-country, multi-market |
| Based in | San Francisco, CA, USA | Property type | Urban apartments / multi-family buildings |
| Founded in | 2016 | Service | Full-service |
| Growth | Organic | Funding | Series B |
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