Did Airbnb patent their idea?

While the company was started in 2008, Airbnb did not file its first US patent application until 2012. The company has two issued US patents, and 23 pending, published US patent applications.

How did uber grow its user base?

Word of mouth has played a huge role in Uber’s growth. According to a 2011 blog post, Uber grew almost exclusively by word of mouth. And while the company has since started investing in new marketing, word of mouth remains its best way to reach new customers.

Is Uber patented?

Uber’s patent portfolio is relatively small. According to ktMine, as of early 2018, Uber had just 272 granted U.S. patents, and 367 granted worldwide patents in total. (To put that in perspective, the top U.S. tech companies will obtain thousands of patents each — and that’s just per year.)

Why was Airbnb so successful?

As Airbnb continues to encourage large-scale adoption of its product and business model around the world, the company looks forward to continual innovation in its future. With innovation, persistence, and scalability, Airbnb has made extraordinary strides to become the successful startup it is today.

How did Uber recruit their first drivers?

This was the beginning of UberCab, which was initially a black car service. To get their first drivers, Travis cold called black car drivers and offered to pay them an hourly rate while they tried out the platform.

Why was Uber so successful?

Uber is successful because it found some very specific needs that were not being met by traditional taxis or car services. As its website says quite succinctly, these three needs are: request from anywhere, ride with style and convenience, and hassle-free payment.

When was Uber patented?

1999
For one thing, the purchase of AT’s ridesharing patents gave Uber priority intellectual property protection prior to anything claimed by Lyft or other Uber competitors — protection that even predates Uber’s founding in 2010. One patent goes all the way back to 1999, but most have priority dates back to 2005.

What things Cannot be patented?

What cannot be patented?

• a discovery, scientific theory or mathematical method,
• an aesthetic creation,
• a scheme, rule or method for performing a mental act, playing a game or doing business, or a computer program,
• a presentation of information,

How did Airbnb and Uber expand so quickly?

Uber and Airbnb were also smart about how they chose to expand, picking the right cities at the right time to maximize their success. Since Uber’s main competition was taxi cab companies, the startup researched which cities had the biggest discrepancy between supply and demand for taxis.

How did Airbnb and Etsy become so successful?

“They first brought their customers, and then they brought other artisans who followed the customers.” Once Etsy had the first-tier artisans on the site, the next tier naturally followed them. Uber and Airbnb were also smart about how they chose to expand, picking the right cities at the right time to maximize their success.

Why is Airbnb so popular with property owners?

With nothing to lose, property owners doubled their chances of finding a potential renter, and Airbnb had a ready supply of homes with which it could attract customers. “Poaching customers is something all competitors do in different ways,” says Teixeira.

When did Uber get its first funding?

After starting in 2009 and launching its first ride in 2010, by October 2010 the company received its first major funding, a $1.25 million round led by First Round Capital. 12 2011 was a crucial year for Uber’s growth.