HousingAnywhere.com, the platform that helps students who are going abroad find accommodation, has attracted a 1 million Dollar investment. This is the second largest investment for the startup, which was founded by a Rotterdam School of Management (RSM) Erasmus University graduate in collaboration with the Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship. HousingAnywhere intends to use the investment for further international expansion. The concept is already being used in 155 cities across 21 countries.

The amount of HousingAnywhere.com partnerships has increased greatly since 2009. That success has led to an investment of 1 million dollars from the Dutch henQ Invests as lead investor together with two other funds. The investors will take a minority stake in the company. HousingAnywhere.com can use this money to further expand. It givees HousingAnywhere.com the possibility for further international expansion, the optimization of the platform for its users, and the further development of possibilities for students to rent out rooms to each other in a safe and easy way.

HousingAnywhere.com aims to become the largest international student-to-student housing platform in the short-stay market. “We are currently operating globally with over 200 student ambassadors who help other students with their international adventures. This investment, together with the know-how of my team and the investors, shall accelerate this success. This will enable us to help ever more international students find a room”, according to Niels van Deuren, founder of the platform.

The student market is hot. The European Union recently set aside 15 billion euros for the Erasmus+ programme, in which student mobility is a key goal. The aim of Erasmus+ is that by 2020 a fifth of the European students will spend at least a part of their education abroad. As a result more and more universities require their students to attain academic credits abroad. International experience is a distinct advantage in an increasingly globalized and innovative world.

About HousingAnywhere.com

HousingAnywhere.com is a platform where students can submit their rooms for rent while simultaneously finding a room in the city where they will be studying. The platform offers a solution for students who do not want to be paying double rent during their stay abroad. It also helps international students who will temporarily live in another country. HousingAnywhere.com has partnered with top universities across the globe and is active in cities such as Rotterdam, Paris, Barcelona, Stockholm, Los Angeles, and Sao Paulo. The concept has currently been launched in 155 cities across 21 countries.

Niels came up with the idea for the company in 2008 when he himself was looking for a room in Singapore during his studies International Business Administration (IBA) at the Rotterdam School of Management, the business school of the Erasmus University Rotterdam; and later again when he went for his master in CEMS International Management at the Nova School of Business and Economics in Portugal.  Niels also participated in ECE’s startup programmes and is part of the ECE Startup Villa, which is officially opening on Thursday February 19th.