The clippings file·2023
Blackbird led a A$9.5 million seed round in Kiki
Blackbird Ventures led Kiki's A$9.5 million seed. Toby Thomas-Smith started the marketplace in Bondi as an invite-only way to sublet a room to a friend of a friend while traveling.
We backed Kiki because the mid-term rental market falls between short-stay platforms and traditional leasing and has no obvious home, yet the need is large and growing as people work and travel more flexibly. Toby Thomas-Smith and the team brought sharp product instincts and a trust-first design that borrows matching ideas from dating apps to make subletting feel safe.