Student.com, the marketplace for international student accommodation, yesterday announced that Breyer Capital, an investor founded and led by leading venture capitalist Jim Breyer, has made an investment in the company.
Student.com has quickly become the largest accommodation marketplace for students studying abroad, seeking to make booking accommodation as simple and secure as possible for international students through a free-to-use marketplace. In 2015, Student.com saw over $110m in bookings from students in over 100 countries.
Jim Breyer is one of the world’s most influential venture capitalists, having invested in over 30 internet, media and technology companies that have completed exits or public mergers, including as an early investor in Facebook.
Student.com homepage.
Overseas study has long been a passion for Breyer, who is active in Stanford University’s Breyer Center for Renaissance Studies in Florence, Italy. He said: “Studying abroad was a hallmark of my undergraduate experience and set me on a path of lifetime learning. By helping students across the globe to find their perfect home abroad, Student.com is able to solve one of the biggest challenges for international students. I’m thrilled to support Student.com’s mission and excellent leadership team as they aim to help millions of students around the world make the most of their educational journey.”
Breyer is also an active leader and supporter of numerous higher education institutions and initiatives, both in the U.S. and China. In February, 2013, Jim was elected a fellow of the Harvard Corporation, Harvard University’s senior governing board. He serves as Chairman of the Stanford University Engineering Venture Fund and is on the Board of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management in Beijing and in 2005 was named an Honorary Professor at the 1,000 year-old Yuelu Academy at Hunan University. In addition, he has served as a board member of the Dean’s Advisors of the Harvard Business School and was a founding member of the Harvard University Global Advisory Council.
With this investment in Student.com, Breyer Capital joins a global team of leading figures across technology and venture capital that have already invested in the company. An earlier $60m funding round was announced in February, led by global investment firm VY Capital, with participation from Horizons Ventures (the technology investment arm of Mr Li Ka-Shing’s fund), Expa, Spotify founders Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon and Hugo Barra from Xiaomi.
Student.com CEO, Luke Nolan (left) and Co-founder, Shakil Khan.
In the upcoming academic year, Student.com will list properties in 426 cities, in close proximity to over 1,000 universities. The company is truly international, employing over 200 people, speaking 35 languages, in 7 locations across the world, including London, Shanghai, New York and Hong Kong.
Shakil Khan, Co-founder and Head of Strategy for Student.com said: “Given Jim’s experience in technology and education, his investment and expertise in both fields is of unique value to Student.com. Jim has an extraordinary legacy of success with companies like Facebook, but he also has a truly unparalleled passion for education. It’s fantastic that he’s joining our journey to help millions of students have the best possible study abroad experience.”
Banner: Student.com Asia Office.
Images via Student.com.
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