Hostaway secures world-first status

STR software unicorn’s new $1 billion valuation

Leading vacation rental property management software (PMS), Hostaway, has become the world’s first short-term rental (STR) PMS unicorn, growing more than 50% in size since its record-breaking US $365 million funding round in 2024.

Since then, the company has invested heavily in AI technology, launching a suite of AI tools to help make property managers’ and hosts’ lives easier.

Launched in 2015 when co-founders Marcus Rader, Saber Kordestanchi and Mikko Nurminen identified a gap in the STR technology landscape, Hostaway recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary. 

Now with users in more than 90 countries, it marked the milestone with continued expansion, reinforcing European roots while hiring at scale across multiple continents. 

This growth was recognised by inclusion in G2’s list of the 100 fastest-growing software companies in the world in 2025.

As a fully remote team, with staff across 44 countries, Hostaway combines local expertise with a global perspective to develop technology that meets the diverse needs of property managers worldwide. 

The platform is available to STR managers of all sizes, helping to ensure that everyone from hosts with just a handful of properties to enterprise property managers with hundreds or even thousands of listings have access to best-in-class technology. 

The valuation comes as the STR industry continues to mature rapidly, with professional property managers demanding scalable, AI-driven technology to meet growing guest expectations. Valued at $124.5 billion in 2024, the market is forecast to more than double to $344 billion by 2034, growing at around 10.7 % annually.

Marcus Rader, CEO and co-founder of Hostaway, said: “Unicorn status has always been part of the trajectory we set for Hostaway. This is a huge recognition of the dedication of our team and the power of the software we’ve developed, as well as the support of our users, who are at the centre of everything we do.

“The first 10 years of Hostaway have been about building a product to revolutionise the vacation rental industry. Now, we want to supercharge that growth and improve the lives of even more property managers all over the world.”