Student Living Startup House of Student Raises $2 Million Seed Funding
House of Student currently operates what it describes as the world's largest student housing marketplace, offering access to more than 2.5 million verified student rooms across over 25 countries.
San Francisco-headquartered student living technology startup House of Student has raised $2 million in seed funding through a mix of equity and debt.
The funding round was led by Saltwater Sutra, a boutique investment banking group operating between New York and Mumbai, along with Nirmitsu Inspirational Ventures. The round also saw participation from Gautam Verlekar (Co-founder, Saltwater Venture Sparks), Glen Fernandes (Managing Director, Bank of New York Mellon), Richard McCallum (former Managing Director & CEO, UK India Business Council), Ali Moosa (Executive Vice Chairman, Singapore Gulf Bank), and other strategic investors. Existing investors from Unilodgers also participated in the round.
The fresh capital will be used to enhance the company’s AI capabilities, accelerate product innovation, expand its global accommodation supply, and support international expansion as it scales its student living ecosystem.
Founded by Vaibhav Verma, House of Student builds on more than 15 years of experience in student accommodation. Verma previously founded Unilodgers, widely regarded as one of the world’s earliest dedicated student housing marketplaces. Built initially without external funding, Unilodgers later secured institutional investment at a valuation of $109 million, helping establish the online student accommodation marketplace category globally.
House of Student currently operates what it describes as the world’s largest student housing marketplace, offering access to more than 2.5 million verified student rooms across over 25 countries, including the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UAE, Singapore, and 18 European countries. Beyond accommodation, the company aims to build an integrated student living platform that supports students throughout their international education journey.
According to the company, House of Student was born from lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the global education and student mobility sectors faced significant disruption. Rather than rebuilding the existing business model, the founding team chose to develop a broader platform focused on addressing multiple aspects of student life beyond housing.
“We never started with the ambition of building an accommodation company. We started because we believed students deserved better. Student housing was simply the first problem we could solve,” said Vaibhav Verma, Founder of House of Student. He added that the company’s long-term vision is to become “the world’s most trusted company around student life.”
House of Student’s leadership team includes several executives who previously worked together at Unilodgers, including Ayushi Gupta and Deepak Bahuguna, reflecting continuity in the company’s long-term strategy and execution.