US: Short-term rental data and predictive analytics software provider, AirDNA, has announced that it has been acquired in a strategic partnership with private equity firm Alpine Investors.
Terms of the private transaction were not disclosed in a company press release.
After being bootstrapped for the last seven years without any outside investment funds, AirDNA says that it will use Alpine’s backing to enhance its data solutions, develop more sophisticated tools across multiple industries [including hospitality and real estate], through its self-serve intelligence platform MarketMinder and enterprise data packages.
Founded in 2014 to empower hosts and investors with essential market intelligence, AirDNA’s range of software and reports equip 85,000+ all-time customers across 65 countries with solutions to make data-driven decisions in an industry which generated an estimated $113 billion in 2021, despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
As part of the partnership, AirDNA will welcome Demi Horvat as COO to scale the business to the next level. She joins AirDNA from Alpine’s CEO Programme, an in-house talent programme that recruits, develops and places emerging leaders into its portfolio companies.
Meanwhile, Scott Shatford will continue in his position as CEO of AirDNA to lead the global product strategy.
Shatford said: “Since its humble beginnings as four people in a garage, AirDNA has stayed true to its mission of opening opportunities through short-term rental data. We are proud to provide insights to hosts and also be powerful enough for enterprise organisations.
“Alpine immediately recognised the power of our platform. Alpine’s expertise in building software and data businesses, paired with their values-driven model, makes them the perfect partner,” he added.
Horvat said: “The short-term rental industry has shaken up the broader lodging and real estate industries, and it’s exciting to be in an area where change is creating so much opportunity for growth and innovation. AirDNA has a proven track record of success.
“I’m delighted to be joining a company that aligns so closely with my values, and I’m excited to help expand the market-leading software they already offer,” she added.
Mark Strauch, partner at Alpine, said: “Our first priority will be to listen to the AirDNA team and customers as we invest in expanding the engineering and customer-facing capabilities of this business. We’re excited to welcome AirDNA into the Alpine community and help scale their impact to meet the needs of the fast-changing short-term rental industry.”
The acquisition of AirDNA follows that of another data and market intelligence company last week, when OTA Insight purchased Madrid-based Transparent for an undisclosed sum.
The purpose of the deal was to create “the world’s most comprehensive platform for data and analytics across both the hotel and short-term rental industries”, and further highlights the accelerating convergence of distribution channels, leading property management companies, destination marketing organisations [DMOs], hotels, investors, OTAs and other industry service providers.
