Joe Gebbia

Joe Gebbia is an American entrepreneur and a co-founder of Airbnb, the online platform for listing, searching, and booking rental accommodations. Gebbia was born on August 21, 1989, in Atlanta, Georgia. He has one sister and grew up in Gwinnett County, Georgia.

Graduating in 2005 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design, Gebbia attended the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). While studying at RISD, Gebbia took additional coursework in business through Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. At RISD, Gebbia met Brian Chesky, who would later become his roommate and Airbnb co-founder.

Gebbia moved to San Francisco after graduation in 2005. He obtained a job working at Chronicle Books and later convinced his RSID peer, Chesky, to relocate to San Francisco to start a business in 2007. In October of that year, the Industrial Design Society of America conference was held in San Francisco. Knowing that hotels would likely be booked, Gebbia developed the idea to purchase air mattresses and rent them to conference-goers. Gebbia and Chesky marketed the idea by developing a website called "Airbed & Breakfast," which became the starting foundation for Airbnb. In February of 2008, Nathan Blecharczyk joined as the third founder of the company.

• Inc. Magazine, Thirty under Thirty - 2010
• Fortune Magazine, Forty under Forty - 2013