SleepOut.com was an online marketplace for booking lodging in Africa, the Middle East, and the Indian Ocean islands.
 | |
| Founded | 2011 in Nairobi |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | |
| Key people | |
| Industry | Lodging |
| URL | sleepout |
| Commercial | y |
| Registration | y |
| Current status | Redirects to Airbnb |
It shutdown in February 2017 and the domain name now links to Airbnb.
History
editSleepOut was founded in December 2011 on Lamu Island, Kenya. The company was created by Canadian hospitality marketeer, Johann Jenson and Kenyan digital entrepreneur, Mikul Shah.
In June 2012, at the time of the beta launch, the platform listed 1,500 properties for rent throughout East Africa.[1]
In March 2013, the company launched NOMAD, an online travel and lifestyle magazine.[2]
In May 2013, the company received funding from Dutch venture capital firm, Africa Media Ventures Fund (AMVF).[3]
In June 2013, Zimbabwean software engineer Paul Schwarz became chief technology officer.[4]
Towards the end of 2013, the company released a user-generated platform offering 3,000 accommodation options in 32 countries across Africa, the Middle East, and the Indian Ocean islands.[5]
In March 2014, the company moved its headquarters to Port Louis, Mauritius.[6]
It shutdown in February 2017 and the domain name now links to Airbnb.[7]
References
edit- ^ "SleepOut's Johann Jenson on handling over 150,000 visitors and their next big thing". TechMoran. April 19, 2013.
- ^ Steyn, Ronan (May 22, 2013). "SleepOut raises $200,000 seed funding, launches online travel mag". ventureburn.
- ^ "Kenyan gets second foreign funding for online venture". Business Daily Africa. May 23, 2013.
- ^ "SleepOut.com Appoints Paul Schwarz as Chief Technical Officer" (Press release). PR.com. June 6, 2013.
- ^ Shapshak, Toby (January 14, 2014). "15 African technology startups to watch in 2014". CNN.
- ^ Wakoba, Sam (March 8, 2014). "SleepOut Moves its Headquarters to Mauritius; Island's Investment Board Promises Support". TechMoran.
- ^ Lukhanyu, Milcah (February 25, 2017). "Accommodation booking site SleepOut goes to sleep and it might be for good". TechMoran.