

Is calling your startup "the Airbnb of X" poison? - TWSS

I'm working on a startup called Stayhound - we use social connections to help pet owners find pet sitters for less than kennels charge. Will calling ourselves "the Airbnb of pet sitting" help or harm us with potential users and investors?
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byoung2
From a user's perspective, after describing your company as the "Airbnb of pet
sitting" you may have to follow that up by describing what Airbnb is. My
parents (the benchmark by which I judge all potential customers) would have
know idea what Airbnb is...but they do know that their golden retriever needs
a cheap place to stay while they go on a cruise next month. So the best way to
describe it to them is:

 _Stayhound - we use social connections to help pet owners find pet sitters
for less than kennels charge_

I can't speak from experience with investors, but to me describing your
business as the "X of Y" makes it sound derivative, like the old style of
movie pitches (e.g. "it's When Harry Met Sally meets Beetlejuice...on the
Titanic!"). I think it's better to succinctly describe your product or
service, while avoiding marketingspeak or names of other companies. Of course,
investors may think otherwise.

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TWSS
Thanks for the perspective. I'm always leery of assuming the person I'm
talking to knows who the X in "X of Y" is - hearing that the comparison trope
sounds derivative is an interesting data point.

I'll definitely stick to the simple description, thanks.

