Sublime
An inspiration engine for ideas
In 2007, Chesky and his roommate, Joe Gebbia, lived in San Francisco and could barely afford their rent. When a major conference rolled into town and attendees soaked up all the local hotel rooms at jacked-up prices, Chesky and Gebbia bought three air mattresses and posted a notice on the Internet offering a bed for the night and breakfast in the
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The decision about where to stay was simple. His pal from Austin, René Pinnell, who now lived in San Francisco, and his girlfriend, Selena, offered up a spare room in their small but welcoming apartment.
Nick Bilton • American Kingpin: Catching the Billion-Dollar Baron of the Dark Web
Wimdu was spun up by the Samwer brothers and their startup studio Rocket Internet, which had an explicit strategy of cloning US businesses. They had done this before, with great success, starting with Alando, eventually sold to eBay for $50 million, and CityDeals, inspired and acquired by Groupon for $170 million after just five months.