The remarkable journey of how three entrepreneurs turned air mattresses in their apartment into an $80 billion platform business that revolutionized travel and hospitality worldwide.
Part of Founder Origin Stories
Discover the remarkable journey of how Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia, unable to afford their San Francisco rent, placed three air mattresses on their living room floor and accidentally launched a multi-billion dollar travel revolution.
The Idea is Born (2007): Two roommates, Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia, are struggling to pay rent in San Francisco. They notice a design conference is coming to town and hotels are fully booked. An idea sparks!
Airbed & Breakfast: They decide to rent out three air mattresses in their living room, complete with homemade breakfast. This is the very first "Airbed & Breakfast."
Co-founder #3 Joins (2008): Nathan Blecharczyk, a former roommate and technical architect, joins the team as the third co-founder. They officially launch airbedandbreakfast.com.
Cereal for Capital: Facing financial struggles, they create "Obama O's" and "Cap'n McCain's" breakfast cereals during the 2008 election, selling them to raise initial seed funding.
Y Combinator & Rebrand (2009): They're accepted into the prestigious Y Combinator startup accelerator. They shorten their name to "Airbnb" and focus on all types of spaces, not just airbeds.
Professional Photography Initiative: Early on, they realized poor photos were hurting listings. Chesky flew to NYC and personally took professional photos of host properties, dramatically increasing bookings.
Global Expansion: Airbnb quickly expands beyond the US, opening international offices and adapting to local cultures and regulations. The map fills up!
The Belo Logo (2014): They introduce the "Belo" logo, a symbol designed to represent belonging, love, and community. Starting from 3 air mattresses, they are now valued at $80 billion.
Educational content slides
A platform business connects different groups of people who benefit from each other - like travelers who need places to stay and homeowners who have extra space to rent.
Airbnb didn't build hotels or own properties. Instead, they created the system that lets millions of hosts and guests find each other safely and easily around the world.
Test your understanding with this quiz.
What makes Airbnb a "platform business" rather than a traditional hotel company?
Complete this exercise and get AI-powered feedback.
Airbnb succeeded by connecting two groups who needed each other. Where else could better connections create value?
Think about: Situations where people struggle to find each other, coordinate, or build trust.