C
Couchsurfing
Travel · San Francisco, United States · Founded 2004
Stay with Locals and Make Travel Friends MoreLess
Couchsurfing is a global hospitality exchange service that connects travelers with a network of hosts who offer free short-term accommodation. The platform operates on a subscription-based business model, requiring members in some countries to pay a fee to access the service. While hosts are not permitted to charge for lodging, the company generates revenue through these member contributions. The service is accessible via its website and mobile app, catering to a community of travelers and hosts interested in cultural exchange and shared experiences rather than monetary transactions for accommodation.
Couchsurfing's primary market consists of budget-conscious travelers, backpackers, and individuals seeking authentic travel experiences by connecting with locals. The platform fosters a community-driven ecosystem where the main value proposition is the cultural exchange and social interaction between hosts and guests. The company has transitioned from a non-profit to a for-profit entity, a move that has been met with mixed reactions from its user base. Despite the controversy, the platform continues to operate, leveraging its extensive database of users as its main asset.
Keywords: hospitality exchange, travel community, peer-to-peer lodging, cultural exchange, subscription model, budget travel, home-sharing, social travel network, travel networking, free accommodation
Company overview
Couchsurfing company information
The essential company record, classifications and operating signals in one place.
- Status
- Operational
- Founded
- 2004
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, United States
- Employees
- 103
- Open positions
- None listed
- Dealroom signal
- 77.7
Valuation & funding
Couchsurfing funding history
Company financing events and reported valuations.
| Deal type | Date | Amount | Valuation | Investors | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OtherOther financing | Jan 2017 | $0 | — | 10X Capital | — |
| SERIES B✓Equity / VC | Aug 2012 | $15M | $60M | Benchmark · Point Nine · Menlo Ventures · Gil Penchina | — |
| SERIES A✓Equity / VC | Aug 2011 | $7.6M | $30M | Omidyar Network · Benchmark · Point Nine | — |
Financials
Workforce over time
Available workforce history. Financial fields without reported data are omitted.
| Year | Employees |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 103 |
| 2025 | 100 |
| 2024 | 79 |
| 2023 | 72 |
| 2022 | 79 |
| 2021 | 78 |
| 2020 | 85 |
Growth signals
Couchsurfing website traffic
Latest recorded traffic for Couchsurfing is 1.2M monthly website visits, down 14.3% over the last three months. Couchsurfing's team grew 3% over the past year.
Comparisons
Couchsurfing compared with similar companies
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Talent graph
Couchsurfing's talent
Source: Dealroom Talent Intelligence.
Global footprint
Where Couchsurfing has talent and traffic
team presence
In the news
Latest news about Couchsurfing
Recent press, funding announcements, and product moves mentioning Couchsurfing — open to read from the original sources.
Market sentiment
What the market is saying about Couchsurfing
An AI-synthesized read of the highest-engagement posts about Couchsurfing on X over the past 7 days. We rank by likes & retweets, ignore corporate channels, and surface the themes that broke out from real people.
Reading the room on X — pulling top posts and synthesizing themes…
Source: X recent search ranked by engagement (likes + retweets) · Synthesis by Claude · Cached for 1 hour
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