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HousingAnywhere.com, an online platform that helps students find accommodation on study exchange, has attracted US$1 million dollar investment from Dutch venture capital firm henQ Invests and two other funds. HousingAnywhere was founded in 2009 by Niels van Deuren, an alumnus from Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) and in conjunction with the Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship. The accommodation concept is used in 155 cities in 21 countries

henQ Invests and the two other investors will take a minority stake in the company, and HousingAnywhere.com will use the investment to increase its international partnerships, optimise the platform for its users, and further developing the ways that students can safely and easily rent out their rooms to each other.

Niels van Deuren graduated from RSM’s BSc International Business Administration in 2009 and from the RSM MSc International Management/CEMS in 2012; he graduated cum laude from both programmes. Niels van Deuren had the idea for the company in 2008 when he was looking for a room for himself in Singapore during his bachelor studies and considered the idea again during his master studies at the Nova School of Business and Economics in Portugal. 

“We are currently operating globally with over a hundred student ambassadors who help other students with their international adventures. This investment, together with the know-how of my team and the investors, will accelerate this success,” he said. “This will enable us to help ever more international students find a room.”

According to HousingAnywhere.com, the student market is ‘hot’. It quotes figures from the European Union, which recently set aside €15 billion for the Erasmus+ programme – it includes student mobility as one of its goals; a fifth of European students should have at least some of their education in another country by 2020. As a result more universities require students to gain academic credits in other countries. International experience is a distinct advantage in an increasingly globalised and innovative world. 

About HousingAnywhere.com

Students can post their rooms for rent on HousingAnywhere.com while simultaneously finding a room in the city in which they will be studying. It’s a way for students not to pay double rent during their studies in another country. Housinganywhere.com has partnered with universities around the world and is active in 155 cities, including Rotterdam, Paris, Barcelona, Stockholm, Los Angeles and Sao Paulo.

More information

Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) is one of Europe’s top-ranked business schools. RSM provides ground-breaking research and education furthering excellence in all aspects of management and is based in the international port city of Rotterdam – a vital nexus of business, logistics and trade. RSM’s primary focus is on developing business leaders with international careers who can become a force for positive change by carrying their innovative mindset into a sustainable future. Our first-class range of bachelor, master, MBA, PhD and executive programmes encourage them to become critical, creative, caring and collaborative thinkers and doers. www.rsm.nl

For more information about RSM or this release, please contact Erika Harriford-McLaren, communications manager for RSM, on +31 10 408 2877 or by email at harriford@rsm.nl.

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