Startup assisting Airbnb hosts gets $2M from DN Capital and others

Hostmaker.co, a startup that provides housekeeping and concierge services to Airbnb hosts, has secured $2 million in seed funding from European VC firm DN Capital and other investors.

DSG Consumer Partners, Avala Capital, Nikita Fahrenholz (co-founder of Delivery Hero) and Mohit Srivastava (former India MD of Airbnb) also participated in this round of funding, according to a press statement.

Currently valued at $25 billion, Airbnb is an online marketplace for short-term apartment rentals. Airbnb hosts use the platform to share their homes with travelers.

The London-based Hostmaker, which is promoted by Indian-origin entrepreneur Nakul Sharma, will use the money for product development and geographical expansion.

"Hostmaker understands the needs of the hosts and guests and have developed products that help hosts optimise yield and occupancy to maximise revenue," said Deepak Shahdadpuri, managing director of DSG Consumer Partners.

Launched in July 2014, Hostmaker offers professional cleaning, hospitality services, profile listing and management and linen rental, among other services to Airbnb hosts.

Hostmaker offers two options—a flat-fee pay-as-you-go model where existing Airbnb hosts can pick a premium hotel-style housekeeping and linen service or an in-person guest welcome in their absence, or a fully managed option where Hostmaker provides an end-to-end service.

The company offers its hospitality services at Airbnb host properties located in London, Rome and Barcelona.

"We have also started thinking about Asia where Airbnb is experiencing rapid growth," said Sharma, founder and CEO of Hostmaker.

DN Capital is an early-stage and growth capital investor in software, mobile applications, digital media and e-commerce companies. The firm has operations in London, Berlin and Menlo Park (the US).

DSG Consumer Partners has previously funded ventures such as Sula Wines, Mswipe, Veeba Food Services, ZipDial, OYO Rooms and EazyDiner. It recently led a $1 million round in IndiaLends, an online marketplace that connects lenders and borrowers for unsecured loans.

Airbnb has become one of Silicon Valley's most successful startups in the six years since it was founded by Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia and Nathan Blecharczyk. Airbnb has over 1.4 million listings across nearly 200 countries. It also has operations in all the major Indian cities. Smile Group had partnered Airbnb in 2011 to help it expand internationally in countries other than the US.