Airbnb, the home-sharing company, is seeking a new round of fundraising that would give it a valuation of $30bn, hot on the heels of a wave of investment into private start-ups.
The valuation would mark a 25 per cent increase over its previous equity fundraising, and would make it the third-most valuable start-up in the world behind Uber, the car-hailing company, and Xiaomi, the Chinese smartphone maker.
The company makes money by charging fees to users who book stays with local hosts through the Airbnb website. It has already raised more than $3bn in debt and equity since its founding eight years ago, which has helped fund its expansion to 192 countries globally.