Last week, Horizon secured our first paying customer.

Will and I have a 3 bedroom apartment, with a maids quarter, for the duration of our Start-up Chile experience (now until January). We have an extra room/bed available. Henry Lanham is a fellow entrepreneur in Startup Chile Gen 10, and needed a place to stay prior to finding long term rental. He contacted us via the private Start-Up Chile Facebook group / bulletin board, and we offered accommodation until he secured a long term arrangement. He ended up staying roughly 10 nights prior to moving into a 4 bedroom place with a few friends.

We told him to pay nothing - we’re not trying to monetize the maids quarter (aka prison cell) - and instead donate whatever the stay was worth to Kiva. Henry donated $129.97 (+ $4 service fee) – and became Horizon’s first paying customer in the process.

Who benefitted from this arrangement?

Henry received a place to stay costing less than a hostel, AirBnB, or hotel, and two new friendships with fellow SUP entrepreneurs.

We ended up with a new friend and a wealth of translation help. Henry speaks fluent Spanish while Will and I only speak a tiny bit (“un poco”). Thus, he translated for me to secure a pre-paid phone from the Movistar store at Costanera as well as coordinated with our doorman to schedule a maid to clean the place (it badly needed it). To cap it off, he even stocked the fridge with beers!

Start-up Chile benefits because Henry, Will, and I have a deeper friendship due to sharing an apartment for 10 days. We’re all more likely to help each other with our respective businesses, share contacts, and keep in touch than if we had just met over a drink or coffee. That is how true community is built.

Kiva received a total donation $129.97, of which headquarters received $29.97 toward their operations. 4 entreprenerus – Florida Group in Bolivia, G.s Villa Nueva #2 Group in Honduras, Wayan in Indonesia, and Nisma Caretar Group in Yemen – around the globe received $25 additional dollars toward growing their business.

PS: If you are a Kiva Fellow or past (or current) intern, we’d love to have you in our early beta group. See here: http://www.horizonapp.co/kiva

Cheap accommodation, money to grow 4 businesses, supporting a great cause (Kiva), new friendships, and critical translation help – a win-win, all the way around.

Interested in providing accommodation to others to raise money for charity, aka “Travel by Giving”? We’d love to speak with you…