5. Housemates

  • Housemates is a student-first, digital housing platform making student moves smooth.
  • Housemates was founded by CEO, Lydia Jones, in 2018, who sought to alleviate the stress of renting student accommodation.

 

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About Housemates

 

Housemates is a global marketplace and SaaS solution which allows students around the world to book accommodation fast, secure and 100% online.

The platform enables global PBSA operators to convert students into bookings across all acquisition channels without the associated cost.

The Mates Group ecosystem consists of their marketplace, SaaS, API’s and affiliates offering the one-stop solution for the growing PBSA market covering both new to market and more established operators.

Their team is made up of those who have helped revolutionise multiple sectors for challenger brands such as Starling Bank, Spareroom and ChooseMyCar.

Their founder and CEO Lydia is on a mission to build the booking.com for the student housing market and believes the real opportunity is access to real-time data.

Over the last 18 months, the business has received substantial investment from private investors, funding it’s journey as the business continues to scale.

Housemates Pre-Seed Investment

 

In April 2020, it was announced that Housemates had secured a £100k Pre-Seed investment, led by GC Angels.

Housemates planned to use this funding to support the validation of the concept in Manchester as they looks to launch a web app later this year, as well as creating jobs across its design, marketing and software departments. This will support the business as it looks to expand its current offering to cover key milestones across the whole student journey.

Housemates have built on the success of Jones’ ‘Hall Hang’ student accommodation app, designed to help international students find places at UK halls of residence.

The UK international student market remains extremely valuable, with nearly 500,000 overseas pupils moving to the UK to study every year – second only to the US. In total, the global market value for students is estimated at $180bn a year, presenting an enormous opportunity for innovative companies.

 

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