CouchSurfing

CouchSurfing is a global homestay and social networking service accessible via a website and mobile app. Members can request lodging publicly or directly from other members,[10] "hangout" with other members,[11] or join/create events.[12][13] The platform is also used for casual dating; harassment is against the terms of service.[14] Members set up user profiles on which other members can post reviews.[15]

For other uses, see Couch surfing (disambiguation).
Couchsurfing International Inc.
Type of businessC corporation[1]
Founded2 April 2003 (New Hampshire nonprofit organization)[2]
3 May 2011 (Delaware for-profit corporation)[3]
Area servedGlobal
Founder(s)Casey Fenton
Daniel Hoffer
Sebastian Le Tuan
Leonardo Bassani da Silveira [4]
Key peoplePatrick Dugan, CEO
Francesco Deparis, CFO[5]
ProductsHomestay
ServicesSocial networking service
Employees11–50[6]
URLwww.couchsurfing.com
Alexa rank11,150 (As of 31 May 2020)[7]
Users15,000,000 users[8]
4,000,000 surfers/year[8]
400,000 active hosts[8]
Launched12 June 2004 (2004-06-12)[9]

As of March 2020 members in most developed countries must either pay a fee of approximately US$2/month or US$15/year to use the platform.[16] Members can also pay a one-time US$60 charge to have their name and identification verified, adding a layer of security.[17]

History

Conception (1999–2004)

Couchsurfing was conceived by computer programmer and New Hampshire native Casey Fenton in 1999, when he was 21 years old.[1][18][19] The idea arose after Fenton found a cheap flight from Boston to Iceland but did not have lodging. Fenton hacked into a database of the University of Iceland and randomly e-mailed 1,500 students asking for a homestay. He received between 50 and 100 offers and chose to stay at the home of an Icelandic rhythm and blues singer.[18] On the return flight to Boston, he came up with the idea to create the website. He registered the couchsurfing.com domain name on 12 June 1999.[18][20]

Couchsurfing International Inc. was formed on 2 April 2003 as a New Hampshire nonprofit corporation,[2] with plans to apply for 501(c)(3) tax exemption.

The website was launched on 12 June 2004[18] with the cooperation of Dan Hoffer, Sebastien Le Tuan, and Leonardo Silveira.[19]

Development of the website by volunteers (2006–2011)

From 2006 until the company raised financing in 2011, development of the website occurred mostly at events called "Couchsurfing Collectives", in which members met to voluntarily improve the website.[18] Collectives took place in Montreal, Vienna, New Zealand, Rotterdam, Costa Rica, Samara, Alaska, Istanbul, and Thailand.[18][21] However, the collectively-coded website was full of software bugs and crashes were common. Many members believed that the website needed to be redesigned from scratch.[22]

In June 2006, problems with the website database resulted in much of it being irrevocably lost.[18][23][22] Founder Casey Fenton posted online asking for help.[24] A Couchsurfing Collective was underway in Montreal at the time and those in attendance raised $8,000 in donations and committed to recreate the website.[18] In 2007, Google search volume for couchsurfing.org overtook the search volume for its major competitor Hospitality Club, after the one of Hospitality Club peaked in 2006.[25]

Change to a for-profit corporation and financing (2011)

The company applied for 501(c)(3) tax status as a nonprofit organization in November 2007 but tax exempt status was rejected by the Internal Revenue Service in early 2011.[1][26] After researching alternatives, advice from lawyers, the need for additional financial resources, and competition from Airbnb, management decided that the non profit company would sell its assets to a newly founded for-profit corporation.[26][1]

The New Hampshire non-profit Couchsurfing International Inc. was dissolved on 4 November 2011.[2] Its assets were sold to a for-profit Delaware C corporation, also called Couchsurfing International, Inc., which was formed on 3 May 2011.[3][27][28]

The company was briefly certified as a B corporation, but that certification was eventually dropped.[29][1][30][31]

In August 2011, in conjunction with the reorganization to a for-profit corporation, the company raised $7.6 million in a first-round financing led by Benchmark Capital and Omidyar Network.[32][33][34][35]

In August 2012, Couchsurfing received an additional $15 million in funding from an investor group led by General Catalyst Partners, with participation by Menlo Ventures, as well as existing investors Benchmark Capital and Omidyar Network. The additional funding brought the company's total funding raised to $22.6 million.[27] The founders claim that they did not receive any cash from the financing.[29]

Criticism from members of the conversion to a for-profit corporation

The guiding principles of the original non profit organisation promised that CouchSurfing operates as a nonprofit. This promise was broken by Fenton and Hoffer. [1] The conversion to a for-profit corporation was objected to by many members.[22][36][37] Founder Casey Fenton said he received 1,500 emails in the days after announcing the conversion.[1] The company spent more than $10,000 on a public relations firm to educate its directors on how to respond to the press about the conversion to a for-profit entity. A 3-page letter was sent to over 1,000 volunteers.[1]

Launch and development of mobile apps

In 2012, the company launched mobile apps for iOS and Android.[38] In June 2016, the company added a feature called "hangouts" that enables members to quickly meet with other nearby members.[11][39]

Management turnover (2012–2015)
Jennifer Billock, CEO of CouchSurfing from October 2013 to October 2015

Co-founder Dan Hoffer served as CEO from 2011[32] to 2012, Tony Espinoza served as CEO from 2012 to 2013,[33] and Jennifer Billock served as CEO from 2013 to 2015.[40] Casey Fenton is no longer involved in the day-to-day operations of the company.[41]

Change to membership fee revenue model (2020)

In 2012 Casey Fenton and Dan Hoffer made promises[1] that hosting and surfing will always remain free.

In May 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the company instituted a membership fee in some countries. Members who paid for premium services, such as lifetime verification, received free access until May 2021.[16]

According to an article on Nikkei.com[42] the overnight blocking of 1000s of profiles led to widespread anger.

Membership statistics

In 2017, Dan Fultz, head of support and safety, stated that "Couchsurfing activity certainly dipped between the 'heyday' and today".[43] Active memberships however are a small percentage of overall registered members.

Date Members Ref
June 2004 0 (Launch)
June 2005 6,000 [26]
June 2006 90,000 [23]
March 2007 173,000 [44]
April 2007 200,000 [45]
July 2007 240,000 [46]
August 2007 285,000 [47]
September 2007 300,000 [48]
August 2008 600,000 [49]
December 2008 790,000 [50]
March 2009 1,000,000 [51]
August 2009 1,300,000 [52]
January 2011 2,500,000 [53]
February 2011 2,400,000 [54]
August 2011 3,000,000 [36]
April 2012 3,965,492 [55]
October 2013 6,000,000 [38]
October 2014 9,000,000 [56][57]
October 2015 10,000,000 [58]
February 2016 11,000,000 [59]
January 2018 15,000,000, including 400,000 active hosts [8]
September 2018 Roughly 12,000,000 [60]

References
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  2. "Business Information: COUCHSURFING INTERNATIONAL INC". New Hampshire Department of State.
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  10. "How do I Create or Delete a Public Trip?". Couchsurfing.
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