Stasher

Stasher operates as an online peer-to-peer marketplace for short-term luggage storage, connecting travelers with a network of local shops and hotels that have available space. Founded in London in 2015 by University of Oxford friends Jacob Wedderburn-Day and Anthony Collias, the company was initially named CityStasher. The idea originated when a friend asked to store belongings at Anthony's apartment near a major train station, sparking the realization of a broader market need. The founders, both recognized in Forbes' "30 under 30" for Europe in 2020, leveraged their economics background to develop the platform.

The business model is commission-based, where Stasher takes a fee from each booking made through its platform. For the storage hosts, this partnership provides an additional revenue stream and increases foot traffic, with reports suggesting nearly half of Stasher users make additional purchases at the host location. For travelers, the service offers an insured and convenient solution to store luggage for a few hours or days, with prices starting from $5.90 per day. Each item is insured for up to £1,000, and the platform's emphasis on security and customer experience is a key differentiator.

Stasher's growth has been supported by several funding rounds, including a significant $2.5 million Series A in January 2020 led by VentureFriends. This financial backing has fueled its global expansion and the development of partnerships with major travel and hospitality brands like Hotels.com, Premier Inn, Accor, and Marriott. The company has pursued an aggressive growth strategy, expanding its network to over 1,000 cities worldwide and acquiring other regional players, such as StoreMe in North America, Airkeep.me in Latin America, and MindMyBag.com in Australia and New Zealand.

The founders' journey began while still at university, prototyping the service and successfully pitching to James Gibson, CEO of Big Yellow Storage, who became their first investor. The company received crucial early-stage support from UCL Innovation & Enterprise, which provided free office space at its BaseKX entrepreneurship hub, allowing the team to transition to a full-time venture. This support was instrumental in moving the business from a kitchen table operation to an internationally recognized startup. During the 2020 travel downturn, the founders also launched a second venture, Treepoints, focused on sustainability.

Keywords: luggage storage, sharing economy, travel tech, short-term storage, travel services, online marketplace, peer-to-peer, P2P storage, bag storage, city travel, ancillary revenue, travel convenience, last-mile travel, storage network, hospitality tech, StashPoints, Jacob Wedderburn-Day, Anthony Collias, VentureFriends, travel startup