Founded in 2007 by Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia, Airbnb is an app and website that connects people seeking lodging with renters who have listed their personal houses, apartments, guest rooms, etc on either platform. Currently, the company boasts over 1.5 million listings in 34,000 cities and more than 190 countries, as well as over 40 million total guests. It also has an international presence in cities like Paris, London, Sao Paolo, Sydney, and many others.

Airbnb is reportedly worth an estimated $25.5 billion, making it worth more than well-known hotel chains Wyndham (WYN – Analyst Report), Holiday Inn owner InterContinental Hotels (IHG – Snapshot Report), and Hyatt (H – Snapshot Report)

IPO Buzz

Since 2014, rumors have been swirling of Airbnb’s inevitable initial public offering, even though CEO and co-founder Chesky said no to an IPO in 2014. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Chesky said that “we will do it at a time when it benefits the company, when we have a good reason.”

Their alleged valuation, however, as well as being a recognized name in the increasingly popular “sharing economy,” is helping raise buzz. Their popularity among venture capitalists is helping increase hype, too.

Airbnb is a company for the digital age, and investors and venture capitalists have taken notice. The company has already received a total of $2.3 billion in eight rounds of funding from firms like Andressen Horowitz, Fidelity Investments, and T. Rowe Price, among many others.

Composition of Airbnb Inc.’s Investors (Cumulative) | FindTheCompany

According to Neil Sequeira, managing director of VC firm General Catalyst Partners in Palo Alto, California, these types of companies are well-liked among investors. Specifically, Airbnb is popular because it is inexpensive to run; it doesn’t have to build and maintain hotels, or a hotel staff. The company is also easy to grow quickly, as there is no need for a physical office in every country—just consumers with a smartphone (even though Airbnb has international offices).