In 2019, a young entrepreneur, the founder of Homely, decided to list a spare room on Airbnb. What began as a casual experiment soon revealed an unexpected opportunity when the rental income covered his annual rent and provided additional disposable income. This personal success story contained the seeds of a much bigger vision.
The founder, Hanson Nnadi, quickly realised that while generating income from property rentals was possible, scaling this model efficiently presented numerous challenges that most hosts struggled to navigate alone.
This realisation gave birth to Homely, a platform designed to solve the operational nightmares facing short-term rental hosts across Africa. Today, with 270 rooms onboarded and more than $250,000 in processed bookings, Homely is making significant strides in Africa’s hospitality technology revolution.
The company’s recent acceptance into Startupbootcamp, Europe’s premier accelerator program, signals its potential to reshape how properties are managed across the continent’s rapidly growing travel sector.

The complex reality behind short-term rental success
Africa currently ranks as the world’s second fastest-growing travel market, creating unprecedented opportunities for property owners to capitalise on the tourism boom. However, beneath this promising surface lies a web of operational complexities that threaten to undermine host profitability and guest satisfaction.
Most serious hosts list their properties across multiple platforms, including Airbnb and Booking.com, to maximise visibility.
Managing multiple holiday rentals is complex, explains Homely founder Hanson. Hosts worry about managing listings, calendars, payments, enquiries, and reporting across different platforms. As Africa’s travel market grows, this operational complexity only increases.
The financial implications are equally troubling. Without centralised financial tracking, hosts struggle to understand their true earnings after accounting for platform fees, cleaning costs, and maintenance expenses. Many resort to manual spreadsheets or worse, operate without any proper accounting system.
Homely addresses these challenges through comprehensive platform integration.
In other words, Homely connects directly with major booking channels through API technology, and the founder claims the system maintains perfect synchronisation across all listings.
Our solution centralises listings, pricing, availability and guest communications in one platform, Hanson says. This automated syncing across OTAs saves hosts time and reduces costly errors.
The platform’s unified inbox revolutionises guest communication. Instead of juggling multiple apps and email accounts, hosts manage all messages from a single dashboard. Automated responses ensure prompt replies even when hosts are occupied elsewhere, while customisable templates maintain professional standards.
Financial management receives similar streamlining. Homely consolidates earnings data from all sources, providing clear insights into revenue streams and expenses.
Hosts can track their performance over time, identify seasonal trends, and make data-driven decisions about pricing and availability.


From small-scale to significant operations
Initially targeting individual hosts with one to five properties, Homely has increasingly attracted larger operators managing substantial portfolios.
We started by targeting hosts with 1–5 properties, but we’re now onboarding larger operators, notes Hanson. We recently onboarded a host with 25+ rooms. These larger operators face even greater operational challenges.
For these professional operators, the stakes are higher and the operational challenges are more pronounced. Team coordination becomes critical at scale. Homely’s task management system allows property managers to assign cleaning, maintenance, and guest preparation duties to staff members, with automated reminders and completion tracking.
The Startupbootcamp advantage
Homely’s selection by Startupbootcamp represents a major validation of its business model and growth potential.
Startupbootcamp has been transformative, the founder explains. It provides world-class mentorship, an investor network, and strategic guidance. We’re especially excited about opportunities around partnerships and new markets.
This support comes at a crucial time. The African short-term rental market stands at an inflexion point, with demand growing faster than the infrastructure to support it. Homely’s technology could help standardise operations across the continent, creating a professionalised sector that delivers better experiences for guests and reliable income for hosts.
Meanwhile, what distinguishes Homely from competitors is its commitment to solving real problems for African hosts.
“Unlike other tools, we combine revenue-boosting features, real-time market data, and day-to-day operational management in one simple platform,” Hanson states.
Future development plans focus on artificial intelligence to reduce operational burdens.
“We’re rolling out AI-powered pricing, workflow automation, and an AI concierge for guests,” reveals the founder, “while staying deeply attuned to local market needs.”


The road ahead
Looking to the future, Hanson shares Homely’s vision:
“In the next 6–12 months, we’re focused on onboarding more hosts, enhancing task automation and financial reporting features, expanding into high-growth markets, and securing funding to accelerate guest-focused innovation.”
Hanson Nnadi
The African tourism revolution needs more than just available rooms. It requires professional systems that allow hosts to thrive while delivering exceptional guest experiences. Homely stands ready to provide that missing piece, transforming casual property listings into sustainable businesses.
While Hanson reflects on Homely’s journey from a single rented room to a platform transforming African hospitality, there is a sighting: “Homely’s flexible, revenue-based pricing is built for emerging markets like Africa. No upfront costs; we only earn when hosts earn..”
This philosophy may be the key to Homely’s continued success in Africa’s booming travel market.