estaie, a UAE-based hospitality technology platform focused on extended-stay bookings, has raised a 7-figure pre-seed funding round led by PlusVC and Orbit Ventures, with participation from Falak Angels, Value Makers Studio, and Vasil Zdravkov, according to an announcement via Wamda.
The company, founded in 2025, is building an AI-native platform designed to address inefficiencies in the extended-stay segment, which sits between traditional hotels, residential leasing, and corporate travel. Its marketplace targets bookings ranging from 30 to 365 nights, aiming to improve pricing transparency, inventory utilization, and operational efficiency for hospitality providers while enhancing discovery for guests.
The funding will be used to accelerate regional expansion, particularly into Saudi Arabia, alongside continued investment in product development and scaling. estaie is currently supported by in5, a Dubai-based startup incubator backed by TECOM Group PJSC, and is expanding its footprint from Dubai into Riyadh as part of its growth strategy.
The company was founded by CEO Osama Shawky, alongside CTO and Co-founder Nimit Solanki and COO and Co-founder Mark Reed. Shawky previously held commercial leadership roles at Orange Business and Concentrix, while Solanki has experience at Careem, Grab, and Deutsche Telekom. Reed brings travel and hospitality experience from companies including Finnair, Trailfinders, and The Walt Disney Company.
estaie aims to solve structural challenges in long-term stays, where fragmented supply, inconsistent pricing models, and outdated distribution systems have led to underutilized inventory and lost revenue for operators. By positioning itself as an AI-native operating layer, the platform integrates demand, pricing intelligence, and ecosystem connectivity into a unified system.
Since launching in April 2025, the company has signed more than 400 hotels and over 1,000 holiday homes, and has facilitated more than 3,000 room nights through its platform, demonstrating early traction as it scales across the region.
KEY QUOTES:
“Extended stay is a massive, fast-growing category that has been operating without the infrastructure it deserves. estaie is being built as an AI-native operating layer for long-term stays, bringing together demand, pricing intelligence, and ecosystem connectivity into a single platform. We’re grateful for the support of our investors as we accelerate our expansion across the region and build the category-defining platform for extended stay.”
Osama Shawky, Founder and CEO of estaie
“estaie is building the category-defining platform for long-term stays, addressing a fast-growing yet underserved segment of the hospitality market. Operating at the intersection of real estate, travel, and technology, estaie’s platform has the potential to transform how extended stays are discovered, booked, and managed. This aligns strongly with Plus VC’s commitment to backing disruptive, tech-enabled startups that are redefining traditional industries and creating new market categories. We are pleased to support Osama, Mark, Nimit, and the team as they scale and establish themselves as leaders in the extended-stay sector.”
Hasan Haider, Founder and Managing Partner of Plus VC
“The MENA region is experiencing a dynamic transformation, attracting the best talent from around the world. estaie is enabling workers to book stays of a month or longer at significantly lower rates, reducing the historical barriers to living and working in the region. At the same time, they are unlocking new revenue opportunities for their hotel partners, digitizing a very traditional business with manual execution.”
William Bao Bean, Managing General Partner of Orbit Ventures
“At VMS, we participated in this round through a direct cash investment in estaie, reflecting our commitment to backing founders who build new market categories and transform traditional sectors. Operating at the intersection of hospitality, real estate, and technology, estaie is well-positioned to capture growing demand for tech-enabled extended stays in Saudi Arabia under Vision 2030. Beyond capital, we are supporting the team on market entry, partnerships, and institutional access to ensure sustainable expansion in the Kingdom. We are proud to back Osama and the estaie team as they scale across the region, with Saudi Arabia as a strategic growth market.”
Moataz Abuonq, CEO of Value Makers Studio (VMS)
