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§ Private Profile · Toronto, Canada
Technology platform for apartment-hotels, providing spacious short-term rentals for group travelers and families in urban markets.
Based in New York, Domio was a real estate technology platform that designed and operated branded apartment-hotels offering spacious accommodations for group travelers. The company utilized proprietary algorithms to identify urban expansion markets and secured properties through five- to ten-year master lease agreements before furnishing them as short-term rentals. Prior to ceasing operations in November 2020 following an Airbnb account suspension, the hospitality startup managed properties across 12 domestic markets and maintained a workforce of approximately 22 employees. Domio raised approximately $117 million in total capital, highlighted by a $100 million Series B financing package in August 2019 that was split evenly between equity and debt. This late-stage funding round was supported by prominent institutional investors including GGV Capital, Eldridge Industries, SoftBank NY, and Tenaya Capital. The enterprise was founded in 2016 by Jay Roberts and Adrian Lam.
Domio has raised $162.0M across 3 funding rounds.
Domio has raised $162.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Domio has raised $162.0M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $100.0M Debt / Series B in December 2019.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 17, 2019 | $100M Debt Financing | Hans Tung | Azar Gurbanov, 3L Capital, Softbank, Tenaya Capital, Tribeca Venture Partners, Billy Libby | Announced |
| Dec 1, 2019 | $50M Series B | — | Activant Capital, Angelic Ventures, BBG Ventures, Contour Venture Partners, Female Founders Fund, Robin LI, Notable Capital, SoGal Ventures, Tribeca Venture Partners, DAN Ciporin, Matt Coffin | Announced |
| Oct 1, 2018 | $12M Series A | Tribeca Venture Partners | 7BC Venture Capital, Activant Capital, Angelic Ventures, Contour Venture Partners, Rubicon VC, Cornelius Boersch, DAN Ciporin, Matt Coffin, Loric Ventures, SoftBank Capital | Announced |
Domio has raised $162.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Domio's investors include Hans Tung, Azar Gurbanov, 3L Capital, SoftBank, Tenaya Capital, Tribeca Venture Partners, Billy Libby, Activant Capital, Angelic Ventures, BBG Ventures, Contour Venture Partners, Female Founders Fund.
Domio was a technology-driven hospitality company that built branded apartment-hotels for group travelers, blending real estate, design, and tech to create curated, social travel experiences.[1][2][3] It served B2C customers seeking spacious, home-like accommodations with concierge services, solving the problem of limited options for groups by offering end-to-end experiences powered by technology, data, and human connections—aiming to "connect the world through travel."[2][3] The company raised over $66M across rounds, including a $100M Series B in 2019, achieved early expansion to cities like New Orleans and Miami, but shut down in November 2020 after failing to secure additional funding amid market challenges.[3][4]
Domio was founded on June 22, 2016, by Jay Roberts and Adrian Lam, both former real estate investment bankers at Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofA Securities).[2][3] Roberts, an entrepreneur, and Lam, a Georgetown University graduate with a B.S. in finance and accounting, launched the company in August 2016 from New York City, targeting the gap in group travel lodging.[2][3] Early traction came via a $12M Series A in October 2018 from Tribeca Venture Partners and SoftBank Capital, followed by a $50M joint venture with Upper90 in September 2018; pivotal moments included opening its first location in New Orleans in May 2019 and leasing a 175-room site in Miami's Wynwood in November 2019.[3]
Domio rode the pre-pandemic wave of experiential travel and proptech disruption, merging hospitality with real estate tech to target millennials and groups underserved by hotels or fragmented Airbnb options.[1][2][3] Timing aligned with rising group travel demand and investor enthusiasm for tech-hospitality hybrids, fueled by SoftBank and others betting on scalable models amid urbanization and social connectivity trends.[3] It influenced the ecosystem by pioneering "apartment-hotels," pressuring incumbents to adapt and highlighting proptech's potential, though COVID-19 exposed vulnerabilities in travel-dependent ventures.[3]
Domio's shutdown in 2020 via asset sale underscores the perils of high-growth hospitality startups in economic shocks, but its model prefigures post-pandemic rebounds in group and experiential travel.[3] Assets likely absorbed by acquirers, with founders like Roberts and Lam—proven in finance and entrepreneurship—poised for new ventures in resilient proptech or AI-driven hospitality.[2][3] Trends like hybrid work enabling longer stays and AI personalization could revive similar plays, evolving Domio's legacy from a bold connector of travelers to a cautionary blueprint for tech-real estate fusion.