Members-only home-swapping startup Kindred has landed a $7.75 million seed funding round to help owners and renters take advantage of work-from-anywhere flexibility.
Andreessen Horowitz led the round, with participation from Bessemer Venture Partners and Caffeinated Capital, as well as individual investors Elad Gil, Opendoor co-founder and CEO Eric Wu, ClassPass founder Payal Kadakia, Clubhouse co-founder and CTO Rohan Seth and Divvy Homes co-founder and CEO Adena Hefets.
Founded by Justine Palefsky and Tasneem Amina in 2021, Kindred’s home-swapping network offers its members-only community new ways to travel without paying for expensive vacation rentals.
Homeowners and renters on Kindred can swap homes directly or earn nights to book stays by offering their homes while they’re away. The annual membership fee is $300 – which Kindred says costs less than five nights in an Airbnb - and travelers are not responsible for rental fees, only the cost of cleaning and a $30 nightly service fee. Each stay also includes concierge support and host protection.
Kindred says its model is focused on sharing rather than monetizing and does not take homes off the market or inflate housing prices.
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“Right now vacation rental prices are skyrocketing, making frequent travel and extended stays out of reach for so many. When you use Kindred, your budget goes further,” says Amina, Kindred’s co-founder and president.
“We started Kindred with the goal of making travel a way of life, not just an occasional escape and we look forward to helping individuals break out of their daily routines while exploring new places.”
Adds Palefsky, Kindred co-founder and CEO: “At its core, Kindred is about human connection. Everyone on Kindred came for the same reason – to live a more travel-rich lifestyle. By facilitating organic connections between members who have shared experiences or mutual friends, we create the environment of trust needed to take the leap."
Kindred home-swaps are available in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Mexico City, Denver, Vancouver and San Diego.