is the brainchild of Francis Davidson, who got his start as an entrepreneur letting his own apartment out for the summer in 2013 while he was a student in Montreal.
Similar to other residential renting sites like Airbnb, Sonder operates in major cities worldwide renting out apartments to travellers opting not to stay in traditional hotels or motels. “I thought, ‘Hey, why don’t I get these students’ apartments and set them up in a way where they can be hosting travellers instead of being empty for the summer,’ that idea introduced me to the idea that there was a lot of innovation available in hospitality… having seen the issue as a student initially, allowed me to reflect upon a different way to build my business,” he said.