- Swimply, a marketplace for homeowners who want to rent out their underutilized pools to local swimmers, announced recently it raised $10 million
Swimply is a marketplace for homeowners who want to rent out their underutilized pools to local swimmers and the company announced it is expanding into 25 new cities nationwide. Now the company is serving two markets in Canada, five markets in Australia, and a total of 125 U.S. markets. Plus Swimply also announced the closing of a $10 million Series A financing.
The funding round was led by Norwest Venture Partners with participation from Trust Ventures and notable angel investors. This funding round will support additional market launches, product development and increased insurance coverage for homeowners.
An estimated 96% of Americans do not have access to a pool. And as part of the Sharing Economy, Swimply connects homeowners that have underutilized backyard spaces and pools with those seeking a way to gather, cool off, and more. And the company’s by-the-hour access is newly available in cities ranging from Burnsville, MN, Portland, OR and Raleigh, NC to the California cities of Oakland, San Luis Obispo, and Los Gatos.
Other prominent investors participating in the round include Founder and CEO of Poshmark; Manish Chandra, former General Counsel and Chief Ethics Officer at Airbnb; Rob Chesnut, CEO for Ancestry.com; Deborah Liu, and Advisor and Board Member at Zendesk; and Michael Curtis.
Swimply pools are available for booking across the United States with access to a pool and outdoor space costing on average $45 per hour based on pool area size, amenities, timing, and demand. And private pools can be booked and listed on www.swimply.com or on the iOS and Android app.
KEY QUOTES:
“The shifting mindset from younger generations about ownership is a huge contributor to increased growth of the Swimply marketplace… Swimming is the third most popular activity for adults and number one for children, and yet no other company has tackled the aquatic space to make swimming more affordable and accessible…until now.”
— Asher Weinberger, co-founder and COO of Swimply
“From Swimply’s founding in 2018, we had the vision for a variety of use cases. First and foremost, the majority of our swimmers seek out pools from their neighbors for ongoing, regular use such as daily lap swimming, family time and to enjoy the way in which water activities increase the quality of their lifestyle. What we’ve enjoyed seeing as we grow, is that homeowners now also use Swimply to rent their own private oasis for a variety of special events such as birthdays and family reunions We’ve also had spaces rented for experiences such as photo shoots, scuba diving certification, the testing of underwater drones, and even dog parties. Water brings joy and people together, and as we come out of the pandemic, we expect Swimply to continue to grow as it brings communities and neighbors together in a safe, affordable way.”
— Bunim Laskin, co-founder and CEO of Swimply
“Swimply has created a new income stream for the owners of the 10+ million pools in the US, with some earning more than 30K last year. Over the past year we’ve witnessed a movement in how people rethink the way we use space and earn a living wage. Swimply is well-positioned to help a lot of people.”
— Edward Yip, Partner at Norwest who will be joining the Swimply board
