Whimstay hires David Weiss as COO
US: Whimstay, a vacation rental marketplace dedicated to last-minute bookings, has announced the appointment of David Weiss as its new chief operating officer [COO].
Weiss brings 30 years of experience in scaling operations, developing partnerships, executing growth strategies, raising capital, and advising on merger and acquisition [M&A] transactions. In addition, David has expertise in delivering high customer experience to global online travel agencies [OTAs], travel marketplaces, vacation rental software-as-a-service [SaaS] businesses, property management companies and individual property owners, as well as advising a broad range of technology, fintech and sustainability-focused firms.
Whimstay founder and CEO, Ben Jamshahi, said: “We are thrilled to welcome David to Whimstay. David’s passion for the travel industry and vacation rentals, in particular, coupled with his track record in the vertical, make him the ideal leader to take on operational responsibility for Whimstay across all functions and to partner with me on charting the course for Whimstay going forward.”
Weiss most recently founded and ran an advisory firm focused on travel and hospitality, real estate and fintech, before which he served as president of payments processing platform Yapstone for six years through to 2020. There, he helped take the company from 120 people to roughly 400 employees across the United States and Europe, grew revenue from $70 million to over $200 million during his tenure, and was instrumental in Yapstone becoming one of the leading payments companies serving the global vacation rental industry.
Weiss said: “I couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity to lead the Whimstay team with Ben. The company is an innovative leader in the fast-growing alternative accommodations category, which has come back strong post-Covid.
“The company is well-positioned to exploit the $50 billion-plus short-window booking opportunity domestically, with more than double the market opportunity outside the US. It’s time to roll up our sleeves, strategise and execute so travellers globally can Seize the Stay,” he added.
In March, Whimstay announced that it had raised over $1 million in crowdfunding through StartEngine to power its growth in the United States.
