Airbnb籌集10億美元儲備資金應對疫情

Airbnb籌集10億美元儲備資金應對疫情

Airbnb said on Monday that it had raised $1 billion in new funding as it grapples with devastation from the coronavirus pandemic, and as some technology start-ups take extra measures to stockpile cash during the outbreak.

Airbnb周一表示，它已經(jīng)籌集了10億美元的新資金，目前該公司正在努力應對冠狀病毒大流行帶來的破壞，同時一些科技初創(chuàng)企業(yè)在疫情爆發(fā)期間采取了額外的措施來儲備現(xiàn)金。

The private equity giant Silver Lake and the investment firm Sixth Street Partners led the investment, which was a mixture of equity and debt. Airbnb, a home rental start-up that was previously valued at as much as $31 billion, also lowered its internal valuation to $26 billion last month, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who declined to be identified because the information was confidential.

私人股本巨頭銀湖(Silver Lake)和投資公司Sixth Street Partners牽頭進行了此次投資，投資組合包括股票和債券。房屋租賃初創(chuàng)企業(yè)Airbnb的估值曾高達310億美元。據(jù)一位知情人士透露，該公司上個月也將內(nèi)部估值下調(diào)至260億美元。由于信息保密，這位人士拒絕透露姓名。

“The new resources will support Airbnb’s ongoing work to invest over the long term in its community of hosts who share their homes and experiences,” the company said in a statement.

Airbnb在一份聲明中說：“新的資源將支持Airbnb正在進行的長期投資工作，投資于與客戶分享家庭和經(jīng)驗的社區(qū)。”。

Airbnb’s business has been hobbled during a shutdown in global travel caused by the spread of the coronavirus. It is a delicate time for the company, one of the largest and most prominent start-ups to emerge from Silicon Valley in the last decade. Airbnb had said that it plans to go public this year. But that may be in limbo because of stock market volatility and uncertainty caused by the virus.

由于冠狀病毒的傳播，全球旅游市場關(guān)閉，Airbnb的業(yè)務受到了影響。對于這家公司來說，這是一個微妙的時刻。過去十年里，它是硅谷涌現(xiàn)出的規(guī)模最大、最知名的初創(chuàng)企業(yè)之一。Airbnb曾表示，它計劃今年上市。但由于該病毒引起的股市波動和不確定性，一切正處于不確定狀態(tài)。

Airbnb’s new funding points to some of the tactical measures start-ups are taking as they navigate the difficult period. In the last month, numerous start-ups have laid off or furloughed staff, and cut spending and expansion plans in moves that signal the end of a long-running boom for the industry. Well-funded travel start-ups, including Sonder, Lyric and TripActions, have been hit especially hard.

Airbnb的新融資表明了初創(chuàng)企業(yè)在艱難時期采取的一些戰(zhàn)術(shù)措施。上個月，許多初創(chuàng)企業(yè)裁員或解雇員工，并削減開支和擴張計劃，這些舉措標志著該行業(yè)長期繁榮的結(jié)束。資金充足的旅游初創(chuàng)企業(yè)，包括Sonder、Lyric和TripActions，受到的打擊尤其嚴重。

Airbnb, too, enacted a hiring freeze, slashed its $800 million marketing budget and cut the pay of its top executives last month. The company raised more money even though it has $3 billion in cash on its balance sheet and access to a $1 billion line of credit.

Airbnb也凍結(jié)了招聘，削減了8億美元的營銷預算，并在上個月削減了高管的薪酬。盡管該公司資產(chǎn)負債表上有30億美元現(xiàn)金，并獲得了10億美元的信貸額度，但它還是籌集了更多資金。

The difficulties Airbnb is facing have become increasingly apparent over the past few weeks. The company has contended with frustrated customers who demanded refunds for canceled trips, while also trying to find ways to support its “hosts,” the people who rent their homes on its site.

過去幾周，Airbnb面臨的困難越來越明顯。該公司一直在與那些因取消行程而要求退款的客戶進行抗爭，同時也試圖找到支持其“房東”的方法，即在其網(wǎng)站上租房的人。

Many of its hosts have had their bookings drop to zero over the past few months. The financial struggles of short-term-rental operators have manifested themselves in online petitions and threats of lawsuits against the company.

在過去的幾個月里，許多主辦方的預訂量已經(jīng)降至零。短期租賃運營商的財務困境在網(wǎng)上請愿和針對該公司的訴訟威脅中得到了體現(xiàn)。