Swimply is an

online marketplace An online marketplace (or online e-commerce marketplace) is a type of e-commerce website where product or service information is provided by multiple third parties. Online marketplaces are the primary type of multichannel ecommerce and can be a wa ...

for renting private

swimming pools A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming and associated activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built abo ...

, sport courts, and houses by the hour. Owners can list amenities (such as pools, music studios, pickleball courts, gyms, etc) located on their property or entire houses for hourly rentals to individuals or groups. Reservations are made via the Swimply

mobile app A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a smartphone, phone, tablet computer, tablet, or smartwatch, watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop appli ...

for

Android Android most commonly refers to: *Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), a mobile operating system primarily developed by Google * Android TV, a operating system developed ...

iPhone The iPhone is a line of smartphones developed and marketed by Apple that run iOS, the company's own mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, at ...

or via the company's website. Communication with guests, selection of amenities, and payment are all handled through the Swimply platform. Swimply currently operates in the United States, Canada, and Australia.

History

Founder Bunim Laskin came up with the idea for the app at the age of 20, after noticing a neighbor's pool which was rarely in use. He rented their pool in exchange for assistance paying for the pool's upkeep. He then realized that he might have a scalable business plan and began finding other neighbor's pools using

Google Earth Google Earth is a web mapping, web and computer program created by Google that renders a 3D computer graphics, 3D representation of Earth based primarily on satellite imagery. The program maps the Earth by superimposition, superimposing satelli ...

's satellite photos. Launching as Swimply (''swimming'' and ''simply''), he soon had over 30 pools listed, 400 reservations and was featured on MSNBC. By the end of the year he dropped out of college to pursue the business full-time. In November 2019, Swimply expanded to Australia. Laskin appeared on a March 13, 2020 episode of

Shark Tank ''Shark Tank'' is an American business Reality television#Investments, reality television series that premiered on August 9, 2009, on American Broadcasting Company, ABC.Hibberd, James (May 10, 2012)Dancing,' 'Bachelor,' and a bigger 'Shark Tank ...

pitching an investment opportunity in his company. All Sharks declined. Asher Weinberger (former COO) later claimed the Sharks declined his offer partly due to the pandemic and the country going into lockdown.

Funding and revenue

Laskin received $30,000 from family and friends, followed by $1,200,000 in an initial seed round. Another round of funding fell through due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, but the company did see a 4000% increase in revenue during 2020. In 2021, Swimply closed a $10 million Series A round in 2021 led by Norwest Venture Partners. The round was followed on by Trust Ventures and other notable angels, including Poshmark CEO Manish Chandra and Ancestry.com CEO Debora Liu. Swimply follows a similar pricing model to

Airbnb Airbnb, Inc. ( , an abbreviation of its original name, "Air Bed and Breakfast") is an American company operating an online marketplace for short-and-long-term homestays, experiences and services in various countries and regions. It acts as a ...

, where commission fees are incurred both on the host and guest side. Hourly rentals start at $20 per hour in most markets

Liability

As of 2023, Swimply no longer provides a liability insurance policy. Swimply cancelled their insurance and replaced it with a "host guarantee" of $1 million that is self funded and $10,000 of property protection for hosts inside the United States. Swimply requires pool owners to have their pools inspected for health and safety including inspection of tiles and chlorine levels.

References

{{reflist Renting Swimming pools Sharing economy Service companies of the United States American companies established in 2019