In 2008, the founders of Airbnb were so broke, they sold custom cereal boxes to make money. Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk were just three guys trying keep their young startup, Airbnb, afloat. They were running out of money and facing eviction from their apartment. Out of desperation, they came up with a crazy idea: they would create custom cereal boxes featuring presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain. They called them "Obama O's" and "Cap'n McCains." The timing was perfect. They managed to sell 1,000 boxes for $40 each, making $30,000. The money was enough to keep Airbnb afloat for a few more months. The cereal box stunt was a success, not just because it raised money, but also because it got people talking about Airbnb. The company received a lot of free publicity. Today, Airbnb is one of the most successful companies in the world. It's valued at over $80 billion and has over 7 million listings in over 100,000 cities. The Airbnb story of cereal boxes is a reminder that even in the darkest of times, there is always hope. With a little creativity and determination, anything is possible.
Do you think Airbnb would be where it is today if they hadn’t made these cereal boxes? I remember you saying it was this story that convinced you to invest in them. @paulg
@jeazous @fasc1nate @bchesky I remember seeing these at the RISD art sale. Should have bought them.
@jeazous @fasc1nate @bchesky Well that is a great success story, but what is bothering me is how come selling 1000 boxes of cereal for 40 bucks each makes $30,000?