HousingAnywhere is a mid-term rental platform founded in 2009 and headquartered in Rotterdam, Netherlands.[1][2][3] The company specializes in connecting international students and professionals with property providers, through its online platform, including booking and payment systems.[4][5][6]

HousingAnywhere
Founded2009
FounderNiels Van Deuren
HeadquartersRotterdam, the Netherlands
Area served
Europe, US
Key people
  • Djordy Seelmann (CEO)
  • Jim Bijwaard (COO)
  • Erik Gruwel (CFO)
ServicesRental platform, online viewings, and bookings
Websitehousinganywhere.com

History

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In 2009, HousingAnywhere’s founder Niels Van Deuren was pursuing a degree in International Business Administration at the Rotterdam School of Management, which included a semester exchange to the National University of Singapore.[7][2] He then faced the challenges of finding a room in Singapore, and came up with the idea of HousingAnywhere. As a result, he established HousingAnywhere.com as a student-to-student messaging forum for room subletting. In the upcoming years, the platform expanded its services to other European countries, including Spain, France, Germany, and Denmark.[8][9][10][11]

HousingAnywhere’s business model was based on selling memberships to universities for a fee. Universities promoted the services on their own communication channels so that students could see the available accommodation for them. Students who had accommodation and were soon to embark on an exchange would advertise their properties on the platform, while interested students would respond with their requirements.[9]

In 2014, the platform developed its own integrated booking system, which transformed a student-to-student messaging forum into a rental platform based on a booking model. Djordy Seelmann, current HousingAnywhere’s CEO, appointed in 2018, was involved since the start in the product development for the booking platform.[4][8][9]

In 2015 HousingAnywhere secured initial funding in a seed round followed by a €5 million in a Series A funding round from venture capital firm henQ and Real Web, operator of immobiliare.it in 2017.[4][12]

In 2017, it was recognized as the 4th most innovative company in the Netherlands and the 1st in Rotterdam by the Dutch Chamber of Commerce.[13][14]

The company received €6 million in Series B funding led by Vostok New Ventures, along with existing investors Real Web and henQ in 2018.[5][6][15]

HousingAnywhere raised €24 million in Series C funding, acquiring Kamernet to expand its presence in the Netherlands and other European countries in 2021.[16][17][18]

In June 2023, HousingAnywhere expanded to key cities in the UK and the US. It also secured €8 million in debt financing from BNP Paribas in 2023.[19][20][21][22][23]

In the Deloitte Tech Fast 50 ranking for the Netherlands, it secured the 21st position in 2023 and the 36th position in 2022.[24][25] The company received recognition from DISQ in 2023, 2022, and 2021.[26][27][28]

Acquisitions
# Date Company Notes Ref(s).
1 Aug 2012 HousingExchange.it Italian platform for international students.
2 June 2014 casaswap.com Danish platform whereby students that go abroad for an exchange semester or internship can sublet their rooms.
3 January 2020 Studenten-WG German classifieds website with three million users, and 20,000 active listings. [29][30]
4 March 2020 Rentmate Icelandic rental platform [31]
5 2021 StanzaZoo Italian classifieds platform [32][33][34]
6 2021 Kamernet Dutch student accommodation platform [16][17][18]
7 2022 Studapart (majority stake) French student accommodation platform [35][36]

Activities

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HousingAnywhere is a mid-term rental platform, enabling international students and professionals to find homes abroad.[9][37][38] The platform enables online viewings, bookings, and rent, and other fee collection through a payment system. It is headquartered in Rotterdam, and operates in 125 cities across US and Europe. It teams up with over 300 partner universities and, along with its sister brands Kamernet and Studapart, has over 30 million users yearly.[9][39]

HousingAnywhere oversees three brands: HousingAnywhere, Kamernet (fully acquired), and Studapart (majority stake).[40]

In 2023, Jim Bijwaard was appointed as COO and Erik Gruwel became CFO.[41][42]

In March 2022, HousingAnywhere launched a dedicated housing platform to support displaced individuals affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[43][44]

References

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  1. ^ "Woonruimte in 21 landen | Financieel | Telegraaf.nl". 2018-11-06. Archived from the original on 2018-11-06. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  2. ^ a b Tim, Skelton (Winter 2013). "MORE THAN JUST GREAT IDEAS" (PDF). RSM Outlook. Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University: 34–36. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-11-02.
  3. ^ "Hunderte Betroffene klagen über Abzocke auf Wohnungsplattform". www.rbb24.de (in German). 2022-11-20. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  4. ^ a b c Ohr, Thomas (2017-01-09). "Rotterdam-based HousingAnywhere receives €5 million in funding to expand in Western Europe and the USA". EU-Startups. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  5. ^ a b Boerop, Lisa (2018-05-09). "Niels van Deuren richtte als student een huisvestingsplatform op dat nu €6 miljoen krijgt". Business Insider Nederland (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  6. ^ a b "Housing Anywhere raises €6m funding to innovate and expand". thepienews.com. 2018-05-17. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  7. ^ "Huge investment for alumnus' student accommodation firm". www.rsm.nl. 2015-02-10. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  8. ^ a b "Niels van Deuren". www.rsm.nl. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  9. ^ a b c d e "HousingAnywhere has a new head: From student startup to hottest global company, here's the story so far! | Silicon Canals". 2018-11-15. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  10. ^ MT/Sprout, Redactie (2015-02-10). "Studentenplatform Housinganywhere haalt miljoen op". MT/Sprout (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  11. ^ sprout-maarten-keswiel-9907 (2018-10-11). "Hoe Niels van Deuren van HousingAnywhere groot maakte met uitgekiend 'playbook' | Sprout". MT/Sprout (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-02-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ Keane, Jonathan (2017-01-09). "Student accommodation platform HousingAnywhere.com raises €5 million". Tech.eu. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  13. ^ "MKB Innovatie Top 100 | Top 100 van 2017". www.kvkinnovatietop100.nl. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  14. ^ Srivastava, Akansha (2018-05-08). "HousingAnywhere gets €6M Series B funding: Here's what you didn't know about this killer Rotterdam scaleup | Silicon Canals". Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  15. ^ "Nog meer geld voor studentenplatform Housinganywhere". RTL Nieuws (in Dutch). 2018-05-09. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  16. ^ a b "Dutch rental accommodation marketplace HousingAnywhere raises €24M; acquires Kamernet | Silicon Canals". 2021-02-05. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  17. ^ a b "HousingAnywhere raises €24m, acquires Dutch classifieds website". thepienews.com. 2021-02-08. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  18. ^ a b "HousingAnywhere Raises €24M in Series C Funding; Acquires Kamernet". FinSMEs. 2021-02-08. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  19. ^ Hancock, Harvey (2023-10-30). "HousingAnywhere Secures €8M In Debt Financing From BNP Paribas | Online Marketplaces". www.onlinemarketplaces.com. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  20. ^ "BNP Paribas financia expansão da HousingAnywhere". diarioimobiliario.pt (in Portuguese). 2023-10-27. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  21. ^ "Acht miljoen groeigeld voor HousingAnywhere". Emerce (in Dutch). 2023-10-30. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  22. ^ "HousingAnywhere obtiene 8 millones de euros en financiación de deuda con BNP Paribas". elperiodicodeespana (in Spanish). 2023-10-30. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  23. ^ "Kapitaalinjectie van acht miljoen euro voor HousingAnywhere". Vastgoedjournaal.nl (in Dutch). 2023-10-27. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  24. ^ "Technology Fast 50 2023 nominees | The Netherlands". Deloitte. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  25. ^ "Ranking Technology Fast 50 2022 | The Netherlands". Deloitte Netherlands. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  26. ^ "Online-Portale - DISQ". disq.de. 2023-05-11. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  27. ^ "Deutschlands Beste Online-Portale 2022 - DISQ". disq.de. 2022-05-17. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  28. ^ "Deutschlands beste Online-Portale 2021". n-tv.de (in German). 2021-05-20. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  29. ^ "HousingAnywhere acquires German platform Studenten-WG". thepienews.com. 2020-01-28. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  30. ^ "HousingAnywhere acquires German Classifieds Website Studenten-WG | Silicon Canals". 2020-01-17. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  31. ^ "Dutch rental platform HousingAnywhere acquires Rentmate to capture medium-term market in Iceland". Tech.eu. 2020-03-31. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  32. ^ "HousingAnywhere Strengthens Its Offerings With StanzaZoo Acquisition | Online Marketplaces". www.onlinemarketplaces.com. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  33. ^ "International lettings platform expands European service". Landlord Today. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  34. ^ Huisman, Jannike (2021-01-15). "HousingAnywhere neemt het Italiaanse Stanzazoo over". www.vastgoedmarkt.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  35. ^ "HousingAnywhere acquires majority stake in French Studapart". www.property-magazine.eu. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  36. ^ Karayan, Raphaële (2022-02-22). "HousingAnywhere rachète la plateforme de location immobilière française Studapart". L'Usine Digitale (in French).
  37. ^ redaktion (2017-08-01). "Wer ist eigentlich: Housing Anywhere?". 5vier.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  38. ^ "European rental platform expands into the UK". PropertyWire. 2023-06-16. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  39. ^ "Europe's largest rental platform, HousingAnywhere to launch in cities in the UK as part of global expansion". Business Up North. 2023-06-22. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  40. ^ "HousingAnywhere kiest voor nieuwe merkidentiteit". Vastgoedjournaal.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  41. ^ "Hoe Niels van Deuren van HousingAnywhere groot maakte met uitgekiend 'playbook' | Sprout". MT/Sprout (in Dutch). 2018-10-11. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  42. ^ "Erik Gruwel aangesteld als CFO bij HousingAnywhere". cfo.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  43. ^ SEDEÑO, VERÓNICA (2022-03-24). "Cómo ayudar a los refugiados de Ucrania a través de una plataforma de alojamiento". www.elperiodico.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  44. ^ "Conflitto in Ucraina: a chi rivolgersi per accogliere i rifugiati". Immobiliare.it News (in Italian). 2022-03-10. Retrieved 2024-02-09.