Interesting bits from Brian’s Airbnb earnings call about AI agents and consumer behavior: — Airbnb gets ~500k bookings a day — ”very non-material” traffic from Muse/Instinct — says people *want* to browse: average user looks at dozens of listings and 25+ photos — 90% of users message the host — most traffic comes between 9 to 5 when people are at work (using Airbnb as escapism) — 80% of travels say they like doing their own travel research

Build a brand that matters At @collabfund, we talk a lot about the importance of brand — not just the logo and design, but the core identity: the DNA. A brand reflects familiarity, accountability, and consistency, for better or worse. It reflects the consumer’s pact with the company to trust it as it innovates and navigates a changing landscape. One of our main goals is to invest in strong brands, because brands are what remain constant when so many other factors may be in flux. And because we invest in startup companies in their earliest stages, the landscape is inherently rocky, making it all the more important for us to find companies whose brands reflect our values. When you build a company on values that resonate with your customers’, you’re investing in your own brand — and that’s the type of company we like to partner with. PS. Some folks who have helped shape Collab's brand: @atleykins @FictiveCameron @kellianderson @justinjaywang @paperkary