25 October 2022 – Tech-driven hospitality provider, Bob W, which offers a smarter and more sustainable alternative to hotels and short-stay rentals, has secured €21 million in series A funding, led by IDC Ventures, Elevator Ventures, Verve Ventures and Flashpoint.  

‍Based in Helsinki and Tallinn, Bob W services consumers as well as companies, including international start-ups and next-generation enterprises in fields such as tech and creative industries. Despite being founded just before the pandemic, we've quickly become a rising star in the hospitality space, seeing our year-on-year revenue grow by 800%, along with excellent margins, whilst achieving an average guest rating of 4.8 (out of 5) and a net promoter score of close to 90.

The series A funding comes as a vote of confidence in our ground-breaking concept: tech-powered short-stay apartments that combine hotel-like quality with the authenticity of individual rentals. Besides funding expansion into new and existing markets, there will be investments made into scaling its autonomous full-stack tech platform.

Niko Karstikko, co-founder and CEO of Bob W, comments: “Our goal is to use the funds to create a new industry benchmark for digital experience, and to support our explosive growth in new European markets beyond the UK, Spain, Finland and Estonia, where we currently operate.

“We have demonstrated, despite the challenging business and investment climate, that we can deliver a strong performance, which is reflected in our ability to raise capital. The resilience that we have shown, underpinned by our unique concept, robust tech platform and genuine sustainability credentials, sets us up perfectly for future expansion, whether through organic growth or mergers and acquisitions.

“We are resetting the expectation of hospitality for the consumer and now we can expand our reach across Europe with over 20 cities in our expansion pipeline.”  

The Bob W brand is taking head on the challenge of gaining a market leadership position in the tech-enabled hospitality operation space. For more information on the brand and properties in our portfolio visit https://bobw.co/. 

About Bob W

Bob’s exceptionally cool short-stay accommodation caters to the 21st-century traveller who wants it all: the consistent quality of a hotel and the authentic flair and affordability of a short-stay rental. We combine the best of both worlds in our tech-powered and sustainably operated properties in Europe’s most interesting neighbourhoods.

Backed by Europe’s top venture capitalists, family offices and entrepreneurs including ByFounders, IDC Ventures, Elevator ventures, Verve VC, NREP, Tesi, Wolt-cofounder Miki Kuusi and Supercell-cofounder Ilkka Paananen, we're building the technology to give every guest a local, contactless five-star experience at scale. We operate in 4 markets in Europe today with rapid expansion secured across the continent. Check out our 60-second intro video to learn more.

For Bob W press pack, images, assets and more visit https://bobw.co/press

In the media

Yahoo Finance – Tech hospitality specialist Bob W raises €21M in series A funding round

Tech.eu – Helsinki’s Bob W checks in with €21 million new guests

Short Term Rentalz – Bob W notches €21m in Series A funding round

EU Startups – Nordic hospitality innovator Bob W raises €21 million to expand across Europe

PR Newswire – Tech hospitality specialist Bob W raises €21M in series A funding round

foundME – Majutusidu Bob W kaasas 21 miljonit, et laienemiseks gaas põhja vajutada (Estonia)