Airbnb Closes $1 Billion Funding Round With War Chest for Growth

Airbnb Inc. closed a funding round of more than $1 billion, valuing the home-sharing startup at about $31 billion, according to three people familiar with the company. In December, Bloomberg first reported the company’s plans to increase the funding it was seeking by authorizing the sale of an additional $153 million in equity.

The Airbnb of big event spaces is finally in LA. Herea s what you need to know

But what if you could secure a venue through an online platform that allowed you to choose from a variety of spaces that were not only functional but unique? The New York-based business has already curated and listed thousands of spaces in New York City and San Francisco through its browse-and-book marketplace and the company just expanded its footprint into the Los Angeles market. Splacer’s roster of available spaces is diverse, ranging from breweries, art galleries and boxing gyms to lofts, former churches, shuttered factories and upscale homes and apartments.

Oakland: Airbnb landlords, affordable housing advocates face off at city meeting

Airbnb landlords came out in force Thursday evening to defend the short-term rental platform, occasionally sparring with affordable housing advocates as they implored city officials not to restrict their ability to rent their homes. During a two-hour meeting at City Hall, two-dozen Oakland residents – most of them Airbnb supporters – talked about how the platform helped them afford to keep their homes, or about how their guests brought money to neighborhood businesses.