CouchSurfing
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| Type of business | C corporation |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2 April 2003 (New Hampshire non-profit) January 2004 (website launch) 3 May 2011 (Delaware for-profit corporation) |
| Area served | Global |
| Key people | Patrick Dugan, CEO & CFO Matt Cohler, Investor Casey Fenton, Co-Founder Dan Hoffer, Co-Founder |
| Industry | Hospitality service, social network |
| Services | Homestay |
| Slogan(s) | Stay with Locals and Meet Travelers |
| Website | www |
| Alexa rank | 2,838 (13 February 2017) |
| Users | 14,000,000 |
| Launched | 2004 |
Couchsurfing International Inc. operates Couchsurfing.com, a hospitality service and social networking website. The website provides a platform for members to "couch surf" as a guest at someone's home, host travelers, meet other members, or join an event. Unlike many hospitality services, Couchsurfing is an example of the gift economy; there is no monetary exchange between members and there is no expectation by hosts for future rewards. Like all hospitality services, Couchsurfing is a form of collaborative consumption and sharing.
The company raised $22.6 million in investment capital in two rounds of financing in 2011-2012.
Initial registration is free of charge; however "verification", which allows members to send unlimited messages, is available upon payment of an annual fee. Members complete a profile page that includes information about themselves, their interests, the skills they can teach others, their favorite music, movies, and books, and photos of themselves and of the lodging they offer, if any.
Members searching for lodging or a meeting can search for other members using several parameters such as location, age, gender, interests, availability to host, type of lodging offered (if any), and languages spoken, and then send messages to the members with whom they want to stay or meet. Members can also post their travel plans publicly and receive homestay or meeting offers from other members. Homestays are consensual between the host and guest, and the duration, nature, and terms of the guest's stay are generally worked out in advance. Hosts are not allowed to charge guests for their stay.
Hosts and guests are encouraged to "share something" and to spend time with each other, to "make new friends and help each other discover new things about the world".
Members can start or join events. The largest events are called "Couch Crashes", in which members congregate in a city to explore what it has to offer. Members can also use the mobile app to "hangout" with other nearby travelers.
Members have the option of leaving comments on their experiences with other members on such members' profiles. Those comments can not be modified or deleted afterwards, but they will disappear if the corresponding account is deleted. Members are encouraged to review references left for someone before hosting or staying with them. Members are also encouraged to review negative references.
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Wikipedia