estaie Secures 7-Figure Pre-Seed Funding to Build AI-Native Extended-Stay Platform

Scaling Regional Hospitality

estaie, the first AI-native extended-stay platform, has closed a 7-figure pre-seed funding round led by PlusVC and Orbit Ventures. The Dubai-based startup plans to use the capital to accelerate its expansion into Saudi Arabia and refine its proprietary technology. This funding validates a new category in travel tech that bridges the gap between nightly hotel stays and annual residential leases.

AI-Driven Pricing Intelligence

At the heart of the platform is an AI-driven engine designed to solve the pricing fragmentation of long-term stays. Unlike traditional travel agencies that use nightly logic, estaie’s algorithms apply dynamic demand intelligence to stays ranging from 30 to 365 nights. This in-house technology, which has three pending patents, ensures a guaranteed minimum discount of 32 percent compared to standard market rates.

A Veteran Leadership Team

The company is led by a veteran team including CEO Osama Shawky, a six-time founder, and CTO Nimit Solanki, formerly of Careem and Grab. Their expertise combines years of commercial hospitality experience with high-scale tech leadership from global giants like Disney and Deutsche Telekom. This mix of industry knowledge and engineering prowess is central to their goal of building an AI operating layer for long-term stays.

Expanding Supply and Demand

Strategic scaling is currently focused on Riyadh, aligning with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and its surge in workforce mobility. The platform has already onboarded more than 400 hotels and 1,000 holiday homes across the region to meet this demand. Early traction shows consistent growth, with over 3,000 room nights booked since the platform launched in April 2025.

Revolutionizing the Ecosystem

Beyond simple bookings, the platform aims to unlock new revenue for hotel partners by digitizing manual distribution processes. By filling underutilized inventory during shoulder seasons, estaie provides a dedicated channel for corporate relocation and digital nomads. This ecosystem connectivity simplifies life for travelers while maximizing efficiency for property operators.