Why I Started Silkhaus.

I don't live like my parents did in their 20s.
Over the last decade, I have lived across 6 cities and 5 countries. My idea of home has changed nearly every year, and I have grown immensely from the process of uprooting and replanting myself. Roots have allowed me to define an identity, and wings have expanded my perspective. These experiences across diverse contexts have grounded two core beliefs in me:
(1) that freedom of mobility and freedom of flexibility are fundamental rights in today’s dynamic world, and (2) that real estate and hospitality have not kept up with new ways of living.

 

Whether it was spending months at a time as a student in a new city or traveling for work week after week – I enjoy being able to truly immerse myself in a novel environment. Hotels do offer hospitable experiences on short trips, but they can feel impersonal for anything longer than a few days. I value the ability to live, work, and play in the same space. To wake up and brew my own coffee, sit at a comfortable table for a Zoom call, throw together a quick salad for lunch, kick back on the couch watching Netflix, and retreat to bed after a long day. For stays longer than a week, I seek the comfort of a homely apartment with the convenience of a hotel.

 

The status quo

The reality is that hotel-apartment experiences that exude a sense of familiarity are extremely hard to come by consistently. Particularly across emerging markets. Residential real estate has historically revolved around the idea of a “lease” with a minimum commitment of one year. From dealing with brokers to attending viewings, producing security deposits to signing paper leases—In today’s fast-paced world no one wants to jump through unnecessary and dated hoops just to justify travel. We also want to integrate into a new city for those few weeks and months without worrying about how to manage international fund transfers. Why is residential real estate not geared to smoothen the process for stays between 7 days to 1 year in duration?

 

Airbnb has successfully disrupted the experience of discovering short-term rentals, making alternative accommodations accessible to diverse audiences across the world. Today, USD 13 billion is spent annually on short-term rentals across the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, growing at 10% every year. 

 

Needle in a haystack

Despite the vastly growing demand for these experiences, finding a good short-term rental remains almost impossible. During a 4-week business stay in Mumbai a few years ago, I booked a short-term rental in a vibrant location. What was listed as a “chic apartment in Mumbai’s most vibrant neighborhood” ended up being a section of a living room in a young couple’s apartment that sequestered by a curtain with a mattress on the floor. I was even asked to carry my own bedding.

 

Property management for short-term rentals needs an urgent overhaul. The management of this exploding asset class and accommodation category remains hyper-fragmented and largely offline. These experiences need to be digitized, upgraded, and streamlined for both real estate owners and guests. This asset class has yet to understand what customer experience means.

 

Silkhaus: reinventing short-term rentals

Silkhaus was founded in 2021 to power short-term rentals across high-growth emerging markets. We leverage technology to empower real estate owners globally in operating high-quality short-term rentals for leisure and business travelers. Our mission is to make this accommodation experience the preferred format for global travelers and an institutionalized asset class for real estate owners. 

 

We have been hard at work for the last year in building the infrastructure for short-term rental property management. Today, we are proud to announce that Silkhaus is out of stealth mode. We have brought together a world-class team of technology, business, and real estate leaders, from Airbnb, Oyo, Microsoft, Deliveroo, Careem, Bain, McKinsey and beyond. Our bold vision to digitize the world’s largest asset class has received backing from some of the largest technology investors, emerging markets venture funds, and global entrepreneurs.

 

You are all invited to join the Silkhaus journey. Whether you are business builders, technologists, real estate owners, or travelers - I would love to hear from you.

Drop me a line at aahan@silkhaus.co