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Is Airbnb headed for an IPO after it raises its next $100 million round of funding?


Skift Take

The site is a likely inspiration for all aspiring travel startups with a steady growth rate and profitable business model, but the upcoming challenge of international expansion and continued regulatory hurdles in the U.S. could determine the startup’s fate on its path to IPO.

It’s the darling of “sharing economy” startups, Y Combinator and a good portion of Silicon Valley’s top investors, and a symbol of consumer web startups moving beyond entertainment to solve real life problems. Now we’re hearing short-term room-renting site Airbnb is also something else — one of the very few name-brand startups raising a massive new round of funding these days.

three places on airbnb that really appeal to me

There were 10 million bookings on the site this June. Photo by Phil Campbell.

We slipped this rumor into a panel discussion at Disrupt a couple weeks ago, actually, but we’ve been busy collecting more details. Here’s what we’ve got so far: the San Francisco company is raising around $100 million in a third round of funding at a valuation “north of a billion” between $2 billion and $3 billion. While many of its lengthy list of current investors are considering participating, we’re told, a new firm is coming in to lead the outside round.

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