Ones to Watch: CityStasher

Matt Majewski, Jacob Wedderburn-Day and Anthony Collias, CityStasher

In our Ones to Watch section, we highlight some of the top movers and shakers. This week we feature CityStasher.

What is it?

CityStasher is a sharing economy solution for left luggage, connecting independent businesses (such as newsagents, retailers, cafés and hotels) with tourists and day trippers looking for somewhere convenient to leave bags. The businesses are able to make money from their extra space, and travellers benefit from having a network of safe and affordable city-centre locations where they can drop luggage.

The service is ideal if you’re early for an Airbnb check-in, waiting for a train or flight, heading to a gig or football game where big bags aren’t permitted, or looking to drop off heavy items whilst you enjoy a day out.

“We’ve successfully launched in most major UK cities now, as well as Paris and Amsterdam. Dublin is the most recent city to join our network. We’ve stashed over 40,000 bags and have over 150 StashPoints in total, so are helping lots of tourists lighten their loads and get the most out of their city-breaks. It’s great to be helping small businesses diversify, too.”

Who’s behind it?

Co-founders Anthony Collias, Jacob Wedderburn-Day and Matt Majewski studied at Oxford together. They launched the company after graduating, when Anthony joked about charging people for storing stuff at his house near King’s Cross (a regular occurrence). CityStasher was born, as they realised that nobody was innovating in the short-term, affordable left luggage space.

How is it funded?

CityStasher’s initial funding was secured when the founders sent a cold email to the CEO of Big Yellow Storage, James Gibson. He responded, and they won their first investment. The company is currently in the process of closing a second funding round, the details of which have not yet been announced.

Future plans?

The company has big plans to expand into most major European city break destinations over the coming months: Rome, Munich and Berlin are at the top of the list, but more are set to follow. Eventually, the company wants to be the left luggage outlet to go to at home and abroad. In Paris and many UK cities CityStasher is up to 50% cheaper than popular traditional alternatives, so this seems an achievable ambition.

“We just want to keep growing into more areas of the world, and continue to help out city-breakers and independent businesses alike. It’s great to be able to give small businesses a boost, whilst providing a genuinely useful and affordable service to people that need it. Our most recent launch in Dublin has been a great success, which is really encouraging. Each new city we launch in responds really well.

Over the coming months we’re going to continue investing in our growth, branding, social media and marketing, to make ourselves the go-to left luggage guys.”