Luggage storage network Stasher bags $2.5M, eyes operations in 10,000 new cities

Stasher, a luggage storage service startup that participated in the Summit at the Phocuswright Conference in 2019, has secured $2.5 million in funding.

VentureFriends is leading the seed round with participation from previous angel investors such as Johan Svanstrom, the former president of Hotels.com.

The London-based startup provides a marketplace for travelers to find local shops and hotels that can store their luggage on a short-to-medium term basis.

Since its launch in 2015, Stasher has stored more than 450,000 bags in 1,200 locations across six continents.

“We’re bridging the gap between VR and hotels,” says Anthony Collias, co-founder and COO. “In fact, our model is so scalable that we could launch in any urban area that you could reasonably stay in an Airbnb.”

Collias adds that the company hopes to grow from operating in 250 cities to “more than 10,000 new cities in the near future.”

In 2019, Stasher welcomed partnerships with brands such as Klook, Sonder, Marriott and Hotels.com and reportedly tripled its year-over-year revenue.

Says Jacob Wedderburn-Day, Stasher’s co-founder and CEO: “Exclusive integration with top quality brands helped solidify our position as the most trusted brand in the market, and they hold the key to our expansion strategy for 2020.

“We don’t just want to be present in every city in the world - we want to be present in the most trusted and secure locations in every city in the world.”

The company says the funding will be used to continue its partnerships with international hotel chains and to ensure a “frictionless city break” for its users.

Apostolos Apostolakis, partner and co-founder of VentureFriends, says it was impressed with the company’s “uncompromising focus on the consumer experience and safety from day one.”

“This is what sets them apart and will allow them to remain the leading service provider globally.”