Placemakr Funding, Investors & Competitors

Placemakr has raised $192M across 5 funding rounds, most recently a $65M Series C in March 2023.

Last Placemakr funding round

$65M

Series C · Mar 2023

Cumulative funding Placemakr raised

$192M

across 5 funding rounds

Key investors in Placemakr

  • Camber Creek
  • Revolution
  • Highland Capital Partners
  • Geolo Capital
  • MetaProp
  • Harbert Growth Partners
  • Suffolk Technologies
  • Gaw Capital Partners

Placemakr Overview

About Placemakr

Placemakr is a Washington, D.C.-based alternative lodging company launched in 2017. It operates pop-up hotels in luxury apartment buildings, offering fully furnished units with hotel services and building amenities. The model assists multifamily developers in lease-up phases by generating revenue from vacant units.


Founded

2017

HQ

United StatesWashington, DC

Status

Privately held

Customer focus

B2C

Revenue model

Product sales

Placemakr Funding History

Placemakr has raised a total of $192M across 5 funding rounds.

Placemakr's first fundraising round was a $4M seed round in June 2018. The most recent completed round was a $65M Series C in March 2023.

Placemakr funding rounds

Placemakr funding rounds
DateStageInvestorsRaisedDeal Summary
Mar 2023Series CCamber Creek; Highland Capital Partners; Gaw Capital Partners; Harbert Growth Partners; Bernstein Management Corporation; GOS Capital$65MPlacemakr, a flexible-use multifamily and hospitality operator formerly known as WhyHotel, raised $65 million in new funding on March 21, 2023, from investors including Highland Capital Partners, Harbert Growth Partners, Bernstein Management Corporation, Camber Creek, Gaw Capital USA, and GOS Capital. This round brought the company's total capital raised to over $350 million, following a prior $90-95 million raise a year earlier. The funding supports property acquisitions, developer partnerships across the U.S., team expansion to over 500 employees, and enhancements to its tech-enabled operating platform that blends hospitality and residential uses in multifamily buildings. Placemakr manages over $1 billion in real estate assets, has operated more than 1 million room nights, and processed over $100 million in bookings since the start of COVID-19. The company recently launched new properties like Placemakr Wedgewood Houston, Whyhotel by Placemakr in Columbia, Maryland, and others in Nashville, Tennessee, capitalizing on demand for apartment-style hotels, short-term rentals, and flexible living amid remote work trends and office conversions. Leadership changes included appointing Timothy G. Franzen, former president of Graduate Hotels, as Chief Development Officer to drive inventory growth through partnerships with real estate owners and developers. CEO Jason Fudin highlighted the shift in commercial real estate toward mixed-use properties, positioning Placemakr to lead in this evolving asset class.
Mar 2022Undisclosed stageSuffolk Technologies; Wormhole Capital; JBG SMITH Properties; Gaw Capital Partners; Davidson Kempner; Geolo Capital$90MPlacemakr (formerly WhyHotel) closed a $90 million Series B+ equity investment round led by a consortium of investors including Davidson Kempner Capital Management, Gaw Capital, Suffolk Technologies, Geolo Capital, and JBG Smith. The company is a tech-enabled flexible-use multifamily and hospitality operator that combines apartment-style living with short-term rental capabilities, allowing property owners to convert residential buildings into mixed-use spaces. The investment was used to fund property acquisitions and operating expansion, with the company securing committed programmatic equity to acquire $750 million in real estate over the next 18 to 24 months. Prior to this round, WhyHotel had raised approximately $37 million, with a $20 million Series B in late 2019. By the time of the March 2023 announcement of a subsequent $65 million funding round, Placemakr had surpassed $350 million in total capital raised and was managing over $1 billion of real estate assets, had operated 1 million-plus room nights, and had processed over $100 million in bookings since the start of COVID, indicating strong market traction in the emerging flexible-living asset class.
Dec 2019Series BHarbert Growth Partners (lead); Suffolk Technologies; Mark Donnelly; Camber Creek; Highland Capital Partners; Revolution; Working Lab Capital; Geolo Capital$22MPlacemakr (formerly Whyhotel) is a flexible-use multifamily and hospitality operator founded in 2017 in Washington, D.C. by Jason Fudin. The company operates pop-up hotels within newly constructed luxury apartment buildings, offering fully furnished apartments that blend home comforts with hotel services and amenities. Its tech-enabled platform allows users to book these short-term accommodations, helping multifamily developers generate revenue from vacant units during lease-up phases while enhancing property appeal for residents. The specified 2019 funding round matches a Series B with participation from Harbert Growth Partners (lead), Camber Creek, Geolo Capital, Harbert Growth Partners, Highland Capital Partners, Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, Suffolk Technologies, Working Lab Capital, and Mark Donnelly, dated around December 10, 2019. Placemakr has raised a total of approximately $190.4M across 9 rounds as of 2023, including a prior Seed VC, Series A in 2018, the 2019 Series B, a Loan, Series C, and a Series D of $65M on March 21, 2023, with repeat investors like Harbert Growth Partners, Highland Capital Partners, and Camber Creek, plus new ones like Bernstein Management Corporation and Gaw Capital Partners. Later developments include property launches like Placemakr Wedgewood Houston and Whyhotel by Placemakr in Columbia, with expansion driven by partnerships and a new Chief Development Officer in 2023.
Dec 2018Series AHighland Capital Partners (lead); Camber Creek; Mendacre; Revolution; MetaProp; Geolo Capital$11M-
Jun 2018SeedCamber Creek (lead); Mendacre; Vornado Realty Trust; Revolution; MetaProp; Working Lab Capital; Mitchell Schear$4M-

Who has invested in Placemakr?

18 investors have backed Placemakr across its funding rounds, including Camber Creek, Revolution, Highland Capital Partners, Geolo Capital, MetaProp and Harbert Growth Partners.

Lead investors include Harbert Growth Partners, Highland Capital Partners and Camber Creek.


Placemakr Investors

Investors in Placemakr by funding rounds participated
InvestorHQRoundsRoleFirst check
Camber CreekUnited StatesWashington, DC4LeadJun 2018
Highland Capital PartnersUnited StatesLexington, KY3LeadDec 2018
RevolutionUnited StatesWashington, DC3ParticipantJun 2018
Geolo CapitalUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA3ParticipantDec 2018
Suffolk TechnologiesUnited StatesBoston, MA2ParticipantDec 2019
MendacreUnited StatesCharlotte, NC2ParticipantJun 2018
Gaw Capital PartnersHong KongHong Kong2ParticipantMar 2022
Harbert Growth PartnersUnited StatesUnited States2LeadDec 2019
MetaPropUnited StatesNew York City, NY2ParticipantJun 2018
Working Lab CapitalUnited StatesWashington, DC2ParticipantJun 2018
Mark DonnellyUnited StatesChicago, IL1ParticipantDec 2019
Vornado Realty TrustUnited StatesNew York City, NY1ParticipantJun 2018
Wormhole CapitalUnited StatesNew York City, NY1ParticipantMar 2022

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Placemakr Competitors

Placemakr competitors include listed companies like Booking Holdings and Airbnb, and private ones like Fabhotels, Gubei Watertown, Butler Hospitality and ResortPass.

Public and private companies comparable to Placemakr
CompanyHQStatusRevenueEBITDAValuationRevenue Multiple
FabhotelsIndiaGurgaonPrivate$44M-$141M3.2x
Gubei WatertownChinaBeijingPrivate--$123M-
Butler HospitalityUnited StatesNew York City, NYPrivate--$85M-
ResortPassUnited StatesNew York City, NYPrivate--$78M-
Booking HoldingsUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$27B$8.3B$128B4.6x
AirbnbUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$12B$2.4B$98B6.5x

Placemakr Public Comps

Placemakr is still privately-owned, but its public comps include Booking Holdings, Airbnb, Marriott, Hilton, Expedia, Oriental Land, Las Vegas Sands, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Galaxy Enter Group and Hyatt.

Last FYEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
RevenueEBITDALast FYLTM2027ELast FYLTM2027E
Booking Holdings$27B$8.3B4.9x4.6x15.9x12.4x
Airbnb$12B$2.4B7.2x6.5x36.3x18.2x
Marriott$26B$4.6B4.0x3.8x22.6x17.9x
Hilton$12B$2.9B6.7x6.4x28.3x20.4x
Expedia$15B$2.5B2.3x2.2x13.5x8.6x
Oriental Land$4.5B$1.5B6.8x6.7x20.3x20.1x
Las Vegas Sands$13B$4.3B3.0x2.8x8.9x7.4x
IHG Hotels & Resorts$5.2B$1.4B5.0x4.8x19.2x18.4x

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Common questions about Placemakr

When was Placemakr founded?Placemakr was founded in 2017.
Where is Placemakr headquartered?Placemakr is headquartered in Washington, DC, United States.
Is Placemakr publicly listed?No, Placemakr is a private, VC-backed company.
How much funding has Placemakr raised?Placemakr has raised $192M across 5 funding rounds.
What was Placemakr's last funding round?Placemakr's last funding round was a $65M Series C in March 2023.
Who are Placemakr's investors?Placemakr's investors include Camber Creek, Highland Capital Partners, Revolution, Geolo Capital, Suffolk Technologies, Mendacre, Gaw Capital Partners, Harbert Growth Partners, MetaProp, Working Lab Capital and 8 others.
Which companies are comparable to Placemakr?Companies comparable to Placemakr include Fabhotels, Gubei Watertown, Butler Hospitality, ResortPass, Booking Holdings and Airbnb.

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