Stasher, the luggage storage app for travellers, raises $2.5M additional funding

Stasher, the luggage storage app for travellers, has raised $2.5 million in additional funding. Leading the round is Venture Friends, along with various angels including Johan Svanstrom, former president of Expedia-owned Hotels.com.

Launched in 2015, and now calling itself a "sharing economy solution" to luggage storage, the Stasher marketplace and app connects travellers, event attendees and vacation rental guests with local shops and hotels who can store their luggage on a short-to-medium term basis.

Insurance is included with each booking, and items stored at a StasherPoint are covered for damage, loss and theft up to the value of 1,000.

Meanwhile, the revenue share for hosts is roughly 50% of the storage fee. The idea is that brick and mortar shops can access an additional revenue stream, thanks to the so-called sharing economy.

More broadly, the problem Stasher wants to solve is that having to carry around luggage can often stop you enjoying part of your day when travelling, time that is otherwise wasted. "If you've ever been forced out of your Airbnb at 10am, you may be familiar with the issue," co-founder Anthony Collias told me back in 2018.

To that end, the Stasher network has grown a lot since then and now has a presence in 250 cities, up from 20. This has included bringing the luggage storage app to the U.S. and Australia.

This has seen the startup partner with the likes of Klook, Sonder, Marriott, and Hotels.com, along with brands such as Premier Inn, Expedia, Holiday Express, OYO and Accor.