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If it wasn't grotty, it was too expensive, or often both. Recalling their college days, friends Miguel Amaro, Ben Grech and Mariano Kostelec all say that their biggest problem was friebd somewhere to live in the first place.

They came up with a plan to create an online marketplace matching students with accommodation. Ben says: "It was clear that people were doing more online and that marketplaces such as Airbnb carddiff a great solution for travel, but finding accommodation was such a problem for students around the world. From there Lonely women Jar-e Pa'in was down to business, getting a permanent office in Lisbon, and wooing landlords to the site and checking properties.

The Uniplaces website was then officially launched textinngwith an initial 50 properties in the Portuguese capital listed on the site. Mariano, 28, says: "We picked Lisbon as our first city as it totally made sense to stay [and open headquarters here].

Thereafter they pay directly to the landlord. Since its launch, three million nights have been booked through the platform, which currently lists over 40, properties. Revenues grew four-fold in compared to the year, but with the money being reinvested into the business Uniplaces is yet to turn a profit.

The company, which now has employees, has also continued to attract the attention of investors. The capital has been used to fund expansion, build brand awareness, fine-tune the product, and appoint extra staff.

Initially they were too ambitious and tried to expand too quickly. Miguel, 27, says: "We wanted to be a global start-up so we quickly launched in 70 cities.

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Txeting then you start compromising. Miguel adds: "Investors wantbut then you realise you need to focus and deliver a good experience for the customer and make sure landlords' properties are getting filled up.

It's a balance of ambition. We want to get out to Granny sex Edgewood world but we have to stage it. So in we went down to six cities cardicf focused on them. Uniplaces is fairly innovative because its interest lies more with the student, supporting first-time renters to find good deals. The ambitious trio also have visions of creating a more wide-ranging university brand.

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From next year students will receive a welcome pack including useful materials such as a sim card, and a travel card when they arrive at their new digs. There'll also be the launch of an app where Uniplaces brand ambassadors will be on hand to answer any questions students might have about their new city.

Further in the pipeline are plans to enable students who might have booked to rent a room in the same property to build a relationship through social media before they move in. Ben says that the aim of such initiatives is to make renting student accommodation through Uniplaces as "welcoming" as stucent. Related Topics.