Airbnb did well in the past quarters before 2020 and doesn’t have much concerns for cash. It was one of the most financially healthy startup.
Actually, its full year earnings turned positive as early as 2017, when it generated earnings of about $100m while bookings grew around 150%. It became profitable in the second half of 2016.
In 2018, it made $93 million in profit on $2.6 billion in revenue.
More recently, it took in more than $1 billion in revenue in 2019Q2.
However, Airbnb racked up a $322 million net loss for the nine months through September, down from a $200 million profit a year earlier.
In 2019Q3 alone, Airbnb increased its revenue to $1.65 billion in the third quarter, up almost $400 million from a year earlier, one of the people said. But costs rose faster. Net profit for the quarter was $266 million – less than the $337 million profit for the same period in 2018
All sorts of reports said Airbnb is preparing to go IPO in 2020… until coronavirus hit.
When WSJ reported in Feb, it says Airbnb’s business in China is currently down about 80% compared with last year.
Now as travel industry worldwide is hit, Aribnb total revenue could decline 70-90% and might have cash flow problem.
It now has raised debt and cancelled summer internships.
In early April, Airbnb raised $1 billion in debt and equity from private equity firms Silver Lake and Sixth Street Partners.
Last week, Airbnb raised another $1 billion in debt. Fidelity, T Rowe Price and Blackrock are participating along with Apollo and Oaktree.
While Airbnb should be fine and solvent, how its revenue gonna recover & how to show its growth rate will be an IPO headache.