Airbnb is the most popular company when it comes to lodging options. The core idea of providing travelers with apartments has gained popularity in many startups trying to offer other housing variations. Such is the case of Ukio, a Spanish company that offers long-term premium rentals due to the increase of digital nomads looking to stay in countries for more than a month.
One of the major impacts of the pandemic was the increase of remote workers. People started appreciating the flexibility of working from home or any other place they liked. And now that traveling is possible, digital nomads keep increasing. And Ukio wants to help them have a premium experience by providing them long-term renting opportunities.
Ukio Raised $9 Million From Top European Investors
Ukio is a Spanish real estate marketplace founded in 2020 by siblings Jeremy Fourteau and Stanley Fourteau that offers long-term premium rentals. The company has grown to having more than 100 apartments between Barcelo and Madrid and maintaining a 95% occupancy rate.
Last week, the company announced a large seed round of $9 million and plans to scale to more than 700 apartments across six continental capitals in 2020. Some cities they want to target are Lisbon, London, and Berling.
What makes Ukio different from Airbnb is that they provide guests with a new long-term residency with the opportunity to stay for six months or longer. Their other target user are digital nomads that, while they won’t rent for more than six months, still want to have the option of renting an apartment for around two or three months.
The company is an example of how remote work and the increase of digital nomads impact the priorities of companies and startups who are continually adapting to these new needs.
