Airsorted raises £2.1m and introduces pawternity leave

Clearly the employees and animal lovers at the Airbnb host management startup have lots of good news to wag their tongues – or should that be tails? – about

Airsorted raises £2.1m and introduces pawternity leave

No one is denying that life as an entrepreneur can be ruff. Not only will launching a startup mean lots of late nights and tough calls but it can also put a strain on employees’ work-life balance. However, it seems as if one startup has found a unique perk to ensure staff stay with the firm.

In what’s been a particularly productive week, Airsorted, the Airbnb host management startup, announced both the completion of a successful £2.1m crowdfunding campaign to go alongside its £5m series A from March and introduced pawternity leave for pet owners. And yes, that’s what they’re calling it. We’re not even kitten.

The scheme will allow pet owners among their employees to work from home for a week to heap love and care over their puppies, kittens and whatever other animal may be in dire need of attention. The scheme will be available for the startup’s UK employees in London, Brighton, Bristol and Edinburgh.

Commenting on the scheme, James Jenkins-Yates, founder and CEO of Airsorted, said: “It takes time for animals to make themselves comfortable in new surroundings. Our ‘pawternity leave’ ensures that our employees have the flexibility and the support to look after their animals at this crucial stage.”

Speaking about the extra influx of money, Jenkins-Yates stated that the money will be used to accelerate Airsorted’s global expansion plans. It currently operates in 14 cities around the world and plans to expand into 38 new cities by the end of 2019.

He continued: “Raising an additional £2m through crowdfunding alongside our £5m series A, will really help us realise our ambitions. With Airbnb offering more than four million listings in over 190 countries, Airsorted can tap into a huge potential market and can create a hassle-free hosting experience globally.”

But let’s stay with the pawternity leave. In days when the government is discussing extending paternity leave to help close the gender pay gap, it’s great to see Airsorted take steps to make it easier for pet owners to care for their four-legged friends. We think these measures are puuurrfect all round.

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Eric Johansson
Eric Johansson
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