@southasianexplorer: Airbnb began with three broke roommates who couldn’t even afford their rent. 🛏️ Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia were living in San Francisco when a design conference filled every hotel in the city. So they inflated three air mattresses, invited strangers to stay for $80 a night, served breakfast, and called it Air Bed & Breakfast. It was never supposed to become a company. Later, their engineer friend Nathan Blecharczyk joined them, but the journey was anything but easy. They pitched seven investors. Five said no. Two never replied. With maxed out credit cards, they had one last crazy idea. During the 2008 U.S. election, they bought $4 cereal, redesigned the boxes into Obama O’s and Cap’n McCain’s, and sold each one for $40. 🥣 That unexpected idea raised around $30,000 and kept Airbnb alive. When they finally pitched Y Combinator, Paul Graham wasn’t convinced by Airbnb. He was convinced by the founders. Anyone who could sell a $4 box of cereal for $40 wasn’t going to give up. Today, Airbnb is worth more than $80 billion, has over 8 million listings across 220+ countries, and owns almost none of them. 🌍 If people are laughing at your idea today, remember this. The best ideas usually sound ridiculous in the beginning. I’m Ria, and I love sharing stories of people, courage, and culture from around the world 🤍 If stories like this resonate with you, you’re in the right place. Follow along. #airbnb #founderstory #ceo #entrepreneur #inspirational

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