People associate Airbnb with vacation travel. But Airbnb was founded as a service for business travelers.
The company began in 2007. Then called AirBed & Breakfast, its founders' business model was simple: Buy three air mattresses, and build a website at airbedandbreakfast.com. Then, invite attendees of the city's 2008 Industrial Design Conference who couldn‘t find a hotel room to crash at their house.