Airbnb looking at $150 million VC investment at $2.5 billion valuation

- Oct 20, 2012 6:45 am

Skift Take

Will Airbnb be the next dot-bomb or a sustainable disrupter? Venture capitalist Peter Thiel and others are betting on the latter.

— Dennis Schaal

Online-accommodation rental service Airbnb Inc. is in discussions with venture capitalist Peter Thiel about a roughly $150 million investment that would value the start-up at around $2.5 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.

The sum nearly doubles the level reached last year, when the San Francisco-based company raised $120 million at a $1.3 billion valuation.

The terms of a deal are still in flux. Some existing Airbnb investors, including venture firms Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital, are also expected to participate in the round, these people said.