Let’s be honest, we all know the troubles and tribulations of house hunting. Not only are there the countless hours spent running ads, arranging viewings, etc., but there’s also the paperwork, forms, registrations, blah blah blah. Yawn. And in a world where we were promised DeLorean and time-traveling hoverboards, why, my God, why is this process still going on?
What is this former Zynga, EA and Headspace product manager? Jeremy Fourteauand former Airbnb Global Growth Manager (and brother) Stanley Fourteau? Want to use a modern tech stack to bring the process into the 21st century and get rid of this annoyance? Well if my name is Breega, heart of heart, Partech and/or founder of Coverwallet Inaki Berenguerand founder of Travelperk Avi Meirhere have 9 million dollars and go do just that.
All joking aside, the Fourteau brothers have raised $9 million in seed money to undertake a process that really doesn’t need to be that complicated. Ukio was created to offer the discerning house hunter a plate of pre-verified, fully furnished apartments for monthly stays. Monthly you say? Why yes, I’m looking at you digital nomads. Or corporate housing. Or just get away for a month. Or just the new 31% of the workforce that will work remotely by next year.
Yes, it was a shock to me too, but the world is starting to allow this unscrupulous behavior again. May the heavens tremble.
Capitalizing on the downturn in the rental market, Ukio is entering with impeccable timing (hmm, I wonder if the two founders’ previous stays had anything to do with it? 🤔), and already boasts a portfolio of around 100 gorgeous apartments in Barcelona and Madrid. During 2021, this portfolio remained at 95% occupancy.
With the new funding, Ukio plans to move like a hawk and expand its customer base, as well as launching in Lisbon in the coming weeks. In total, the company aims to operate 700 apartments in six European cities.
Brother Jeremy further explains, “As the world becomes more mobile and flexible, the demand for more dynamic life experiences will continue to grow. With this new funding and the support of our incredible venture capital and business angel partners, Ukio will continue to set a new tone in the housing market and lead the industry into the future of living.
As noted above, the Ukio seed round was led by Breega and saw participation from Heartcore and Partech. Angel investors include Iñaki Berenguer, founder of Coverwallet, and Avi Meir, founder of Travelperk.
And by the way, for those who pay attention, Ukio is very close to the Japanese phrase Ukiyo (浮世), Who “was an expression of the new economy and social ambitions of ordinary townspeople in the Edo period (1615-1868).”
More so, literally, uki can be translated as “floating”, “joyful” or “frivolous”, and the second character, yo, can be translated as “world”, “generation”, “age”, “era” or ” reign”.
I’m not going to cite the Roaring 20s as an example here, but I’ll cite the Roaring 20s as an example here. Emerging from 17 months of confinement in cages, Ukio could literally serve as a home base for the other Roaring 20s in a world that is truly in a state of flux.
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