Airbnb is a community marketplace for people to list, discover and

book unique spaces around the world through mobile phones or the internet.
Whether an apartment for a night, a castle for a week, or a villa for a month,
Airbnb connects people to unique travel experiences at any price point, with
over 500,000 listings in 33,000 cities and 192 countries.
With a growing community of users, Airbnb also provides an easy way for
people to monetize their extra space and showcase it to an audience of
millions.
Founded in August 2008, Airbnb has acquired several of its competitors,
including Accoleo, CrashPadder, NabeWise, and Localmind.
Airbnb was founded in August 2008 by Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia, and is
currently headquartered in San Francisco, California, USA.

Founded In: August 2008 in San Francisco, California

Headquarters: San Francisco
Founders: Joe Gebbia, Brian Chesky & Nathan Blecharczyk
Company Type: Travel
Valuation: $10bn (as of 2014) | $20bn (as of 2015)
Revenue: $850 mil. (2014)

Mission/Vision
Despite being correct, the existing answers are not fully representing
the latest changes through which Airbnb went through in the last years. As
every growing company, Airbnb vision has evolved over time, reaching what
today is a very strong cultural identity that encompasses every side of the
company.
With the rebrand of 2014, Airbnb didn't simply update its logo and
design, but also gave new life to its identity, identifying in "Belong
Anywhere" the message that could unify the vision of the company with
every aspect of its product, marketing campaigns, host & guest community
and employees relationship. As stated by Brian Chesky during the Airbnb
Open 2015 in Paris, Airbnb's mission is to help creating a world where you
can belong anywhere and where people canlive a place, instead of just
travelling to it.

Business Model
Business with a Bang!

AirBNB started 2008 when founders Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia
rented out a room in their San Francisco apartment to a couple of out-of-town
conference attendees who were unable to book a hotel. It dawned on them
they that they might be on to something as it turns out, they were. The
company raised $117 million dollars last year, and recently announced in
June that they had reached the 10 million nights booked mark.
AirBNB, representative of room sharing, is perhaps the most notorious
example of collaborative consumption. Car sharing, another popular
category, is well known thanks to the likes of ZipCar, Car2Go and numerous
other car-sharing platforms. Beyond accommodation and car sharing, a
variety of new businesses are being launched in relation to collaborative
consumption everyday, as entrepreneurs experiment with new models of

access and ownership. The question is, how does the business model break
down?

In the early stages, the business model is based on volume, as

companies seek to get as many new people on the platform as possible. In
the case of AirBNB, they make money as an intermediary between the two
parties, the travelers and the locals, taking a percentage from both sides:

6-12% booking fee (traveler)

3% successful booking fee (local)

Organization Structure

Rebranding

Airbnb has been making more headlines than usual, with a new
partnership and the launch of its new brand. The privately-owned company
offers a service that challenges the established order of rentals, lodging, and
travel. Its simple: Airbnbs website connects users who have spaces to rent
out (hosts) whether they be entire homes or individual rooms, or even tree
houses or private islands with users who are looking for a place to stay
(guests). Users and locations are reviewed and recommended by each other,
so reputation is important this is what the new sharing economy is about.
The brand has been known as a resource for those looking for a deal, those
looking for a more authentic and homely cultural experience, or those simply
looking for an adventure. Yet as the company matures and as the market
grows more comfortable with sharing economy resources, business
travelers have become a more viable target for Airbnb. With an update to the
Airbnb mobile app and a partnership with Concur, an online travel booking
tool used by 70% of Fortune 100 companies, the sharing economy is
beginning to dip its feet into B2B. And as eMarketer notes in a recent report,
though business travel spending on Airbnb is small, its certainly growing,
and if it takes hold, could pose a threat to the broad hotel business.
As well as partnering with Concur, Airbnb also recently unveiled a
fresh, more mature, brand. Were firm believers in aligning business strategy
with brand strategy, and Airbnb seems to be hitting the nail on the head.
Airbnbs video, below, demonstrates the three core values that the new
brand is built upon, all of which come together in the logo: people, places,
and love. The new logo and color scheme is playful, but simple. The
messaging adds an element of belonging, within a global community.

Philanthropy
One Less Stranger
Airbnb is giving out $1 million to its users, asking them to use the money
toward "a unique act of kindness."
The San Francisco-based company said it will give about $10 (or its
equivalent in foreign currency) to 100,000 Airbnb users around the world.
"This hospitable gesture can be as simple as a cup of coffee for those in line
ahead or buying needed supplies for the local community garden," an Airbnb
spokesperson said in a statement.
Charity Donation Tool - Portland, OR
Airbnbs Charity Donation Tool makes it easy for Hosts in Portland, Oregon, to
automatically donate a percentage of their Host Payout to a selected charity.
Airbnb is authorized to accept donations on behalf of the charity as its
limited payment agent.By making a donation election, Hosts agree that the
election percentage will be applied to all Host Payouts taking place after the
date of election, until the election is altered or until the program ends on
December 15, 2015, or when the $125,000 cap in host donations is reached,
whichever occurs first. Once a Host Payout has started processing, the
donation percentage election may not be altered for that Host Payout. By
making a donation election, Hosts agree that their name, address, email
address, and payout information (including total Accommodation Fee and
amount of donation election) will be provided to the selected charity so the
charity can provide a donation acknowledgement to the host for tax
purposes.
Open Homes
As part of their Open Homes philanthropic program, Airbnb is providing FREE
Airbnb accommodations to our students and their families who are traveling
for college visits and graduation celebrations this summer. We are thrilled to
be able to support Summer Search families as they celebrate the
achievements of their children on their paths to becoming college-educated
leaders, said Rae Richman, Head of Global Citizenship at Airbnb. College
visits and graduations are both huge milestones in any students life,
especially for low-income and first-generation students. However, having

family members travel for visits or commencement ceremonies is often a

luxury many students cannot afford.
Take Angela Thai. Like 90% of Summer Search students, she is the first
in her family to attend and finish college. #FirstGen
In fact, she JUST graduated from the University of California, San Diego (Go
Tritons!) with a degree in Public Health. Thanks to Open Homes, Angelas
Oakland-based parents and sisters were able to stay in San Diego to attend
her graduation and support her during this monumental accomplishment in
her life.
The trip also provided some time for relaxation, bonding and celebration with
her family, who unfortunately lost their business and home during the
economic recession and have been struggling since. The Airbnb home, just
steps from the Pacific Ocean, created a perfect environment for the entire
group.
References
http://fortune.com/2015/06/17/airbnb-valuation-revenue/
https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-startups-with-really-uniquebusiness-models-1
http://blog.airbnb.com/belong-anywhere/
http://www.kenontek.com/2014/02/09/dissecting-airbnbs-businessmodel-canvas/
http://www.lumosforbusiness.com/blog/821/08-112012/Business+Model+Breakdown++Collaborative+Consumption
http://www.theofficialboard.com/org-chart/airbnb
https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/airbnb
http://desantisbreindel.com/insights/airbnb_rebrand_technology_disrup
tor_lessons/
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/techflash/2015/01/airbnb
-1-million-one-less-stranger-campaign.html
https://www.airbnb.co.in/help/article/952/charity-donation-tool
http://blog.summersearch.org/2015/07/08/open-homes-with-airbnb/