Airbnb turns to private equity, not venture capital, for $1B in new funding

Airbnb has turned to private equity sources for $1 billion in new capital rather than traditional venture capitalists, according to news site PitchBook.

And PE may be looking for more deals as valuations of startups and emerging companies drop in the wake of the coronavirus economic disruption. Pitchbook notes that the Financial Times reported Airbnb’s valuation has dropped to $26 billion from a previous total of $31 billion.

Silver Lake and Sixth Street Partners provided the cash.

“The investment will provide a cash boost to a company that has seen its bottom line take a hit from COVID-19, with pandemic lockdowns effectively bringing travel and tourism to a halt.,” PitchBook says. “The San Francisco-based company announced last September that it planned to go public sometime during 2020.”

But will it?

“It’s unclear how this funding might alter Airbnb’s previously shared plans to go public,” reports TechCrunch.