{"id":25616,"date":"2023-03-08T22:55:25","date_gmt":"2023-03-08T22:55:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scienceandnerds.com\/2023\/03\/08\/roami-takes-on-airbnb-with-creativity-grit-and-14m\/"},"modified":"2023-03-08T22:55:26","modified_gmt":"2023-03-08T22:55:26","slug":"roami-takes-on-airbnb-with-creativity-grit-and-14m","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceandnerds.com\/2023\/03\/08\/roami-takes-on-airbnb-with-creativity-grit-and-14m\/","title":{"rendered":"Roami takes on Airbnb with creativity, grit and $14M"},"content":{"rendered":"

Source:https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2023\/03\/07\/sextant-stays-becomes-roami\/<\/a><\/br>
\nRoami takes on Airbnb with creativity, grit and $14M<\/br>
\n2023-03-08 22:55:25<\/br><\/p>\n

\n

It takes a special kind of gumption to wake up in the morning and say \u201cYou know what? I can do better than Airbnb,\u201d but that\u2019s what Andreas King-Geovanis did with Roami<\/a>. The company added $14 million of equity and venture debt, bringing its funding to a total of $29 million. The company used to be called Sextant Stays, and focuses on short-term rentals with apartment-style units. The company currently operates 500 units across South Florida and New Orleans.<\/p>\n

Founded in 2016, Roami sprung from King-Geovanis\u2019 belief that travelers should not be forced to choose between two flawed options: cramped and expensive hotel rooms or inconsistent and unpredictable vacation rentals. By managing the entire building \u2014 not just a few floors or units \u2014 Roami believes it can create a better experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn paper, I came into the hospitality space as an underdog: no industry connections, no VC funding, no experience and no Wharton MBA. But I never thought of myself as an underdog because I knew it is easier to get those four things than what I, and every Roami team member, innately have: creativity and grit,\u201d says King-Geovanis. \u201cStarting a company as a bootstrapped founder gives you a perspective that can\u2019t be emulated, but like any other team member at Roami, your position has to be earned each quarter. It is not a title for life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bold words for a company backed by $29 million taking on Airbnb and its $81 billion market cap.<\/p>\n

The company\u2019s current round was led by Vigo Capital, and the company is planning to use the new capital to broaden its target markets. The company says it started with building a sustainable business before it focused on brand, hence the rebrand from Sextant Stays to Roami.<\/p>\n

\u201cRoami is fun, playful and better reflects the personality of our company and our guests,\u201d says King-Geovanis, before outlining his targets for growth.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to see a lot of M&A in the next two years \u2014 it\u2019s still a highly fragmented industry that\u2019s ripe for consolidation. Just 1% of the inventory on Airbnb is branded and professionalized. When you compare that to 72% in traditional hotels, you begin to realize how nascent our segment really is,\u201d says King-Geovanis. \u201cA few hotel brands \u2014 think Soho House or The Standard \u2014 have been wildly successful not just because of the level of service, but also because of the potential to meet other, interesting guests while staying there. Our mission is to inspire human connection so, later this year, we\u2019re introducing a world-first: a floating, market-wide amenity. Through our partnership with Arkup, which is in its fourth year, Miami-based guests will have access to a one-of-a-kind space to connect with each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

The company says it will continue to double down on existing markets and create even more density, which drives profitability. The fundraise also gives Roami access to larger buildings (200+ units), which were previously out of reach. The company also says it will be investing in technology.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a business that should be funded by the guests, and this fundraise gives us the scale and margins needed to self-fund future growth,\u201d King-Geovanis says.<\/p>\n

Taking on three industries<\/h2>\n

In the long term, the company has visions of taking on three trillion-dollar industries at once: hospitality, residential management and real estate.<\/p>\n

\u201cGuests will stay at a Roami, and have their most memorable vacation. Then, they will return home to their apartment, which Roami also manages. Imagine, for a moment, if The Standard was not just your go-to choice for travel, but also your landlord,\u201d King-Geovani dreams out loud. \u201cTraditional residential management has been largely unchanged the last few decades, and renters want more flexibility, mobility and, most importantly, human connection. And finally, we\u2019ll begin purchasing our most profitable properties, giving us total creative control and even better margins.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The company claims it received multiple term sheets and ultimately decided to partner with Vigo Capital, a Miami-based VC firm that invests exclusively in hospitality and multi-family throughout the U.S. and Europe. The company also added <\/span>Joe Fraiman (the former co-founder of Lyric) and Jordan Allen (the former founder and CEO of Stay Alfred) to its advisory board.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re proud to support Roami as they reimagine the way the world lives, works, and travels\u201d said Kirill Vinogradov at Vigo Capital in a statement provided by Roami. \u201cThe company\u2019s consistent growth since 2020 despite volatile external conditions proves that they truly understand how to satisfy the needs of the modern Roamer and we\u2019re looking forward to seeing their continued growth and expansion.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the long run, Roami is doubling down on the importance of human connection \u2014 interestingly, also the starting point for Airbnb, back in the mists of time before it became a commercialized platform.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you first start a company, success is important to you for an obvious reason: It\u2019s your livelihood. As you begin to grow, that balance shifts to the welfare and livelihood of your co-workers and partners, and their families,\u201d King-Geovanis says. \u201cRoami has over 250 co-workers, vendors, and landlords who rely on our success. In our current stage, where we\u2019ve reached relative stability, that reason is now gravitating towards our mission: inspire human connection.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/br><\/br><\/br><\/p>\n

Science, Tech, Technology<\/br>
\n<\/br>
\nSource:https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2023\/03\/07\/sextant-stays-becomes-roami\/<\/a><\/br><\/br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Source:https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2023\/03\/07\/sextant-stays-becomes-roami\/ Roami takes on Airbnb with creativity, grit and $14M 2023-03-08 22:55:25 It takes a special kind of gumption to wake up in the morning and say \u201cYou know what? I can do better than Airbnb,\u201d but that\u2019s what Andreas King-Geovanis did with Roami. The company added $14 million of equity and venture debt, bringing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25617,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,17,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science","category-tech","category-technology"],"yoast_head":"\nRoami takes on Airbnb with creativity, grit and $14M - Science and Nerds<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceandnerds.com\/2023\/03\/08\/roami-takes-on-airbnb-with-creativity-grit-and-14m\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Roami takes on Airbnb with creativity, grit and $14M - Science and Nerds\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Source:https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2023\/03\/07\/sextant-stays-becomes-roami\/ Roami takes on Airbnb with creativity, grit and $14M 2023-03-08 22:55:25 It takes a special kind of gumption to wake up in the morning and say \u201cYou know what? 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