VEHM

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May 27, 2023

Mexico has been a Top 10 travel location, but it has jumped to the Top 3 in the last two years.

More than 38.3M international tourists visited the country in 2022, netting around US$30B in revenue.

Unsurprisingly, the Mexican economy relies on tourism, contributing an average of 7.35% to the country's GDP in recent years.

Let's dive in.

Imagine this

After years of hard work and saving, you finally start looking to buy that dream vacation home.
As you begin your search, you quickly realize that the prices of properties in the preferred locations are beyond your budget.
Additionally, the thought of owning a property you can only enjoy for a few weeks each year starts to creep in.
Considering the responsibilities of property management and maintenance expenses, you feel overwhelmed by the idea and start doubting if it’s the right choice.
Fortunately, you discover VEHM, offering a unique solution: partial ownership of a vacation home with property management services and VEHM swap.

Explain it like I'm five

VEHM is a short-term rental vacation company changing the luxury housing experience.

Rentals: They open the doors to incredible Mexican homes with a high standard of customer service.
Property Management: The team takes responsibility for all the accommodations of guests’ and owners’ experience and management of properties.
Select: They offer the ability to purchase partial ownership of vacation homes, which includes integral management.
Swap: They Simplify the process of swapping vacation homes within VEHM properties. When you purchase a home through VEHM Select, you gain automatic eligibility for Swap, enabling you to exchange ownership of vacation homes with other VEHM property owners.

The ABCs

Other players:

Background check

What we like:

Location: Mexico's tourism industry is experiencing remarkable growth. More than 38M international tourists visited the country in 2022. That is 6M more than in 2021, representing an increase of around 20.3%.
Investment: The Ministry of Tourism (Sectur) announced that Foreign Direct Investment in Tourism reached historical records of US$3.4 billion in 2022. The increase in FDI is a positive sign for the Mexican economy and Tourism companies.
Traction: They have a portfolio of +35 properties around Mexico’s top travel spots, with more than 24 new properties in onboarding. The company has grown organically, relying on word-of-mouth recommendations rather than external funding.
Expanding product offering: On average, owners only use their second home 40 days a year. With this in mind, they started to build products based on clients’ needs and experiences and ultimately came up with Vehm Select and Swap.
Customer focus: VEHM's efforts are dedicated to changing the luxury vacation housing landscape with a strong emphasis on customer satisfaction, aiming to provide exceptional accommodations and personalized services.

Road Blocks:

Trust: VEHM could face trouble when it comes to trust. Why would an owner of a high-end vacation home trust VEHM manage it? They must maintain an excellent reputation in their industry. It’s risky since a bad experience can tighten things up for them, and they rely heavily on word-of-mouth recommendations.
Demanding Guests: Guests are paying large sums for their services, so it is reasonable for them to expect a certain quality of service in return.
Scalability: Since the team’s focus is customer service, it has delayed their ability to expand quickly. Also, their model relies heavily on volume to become more prominent. Since they're targeting a niche market, acquiring new properties or scaling existing ones is harder.

The Architects

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Headlines Corner

Maturana Ventures launched a $28M Series A fund. This is Maturana Ventures’ second fund. It was backed by investors from the US and Chile to invest in Series A startups in Chile and Latin America.
Mexican-based fintech company, Kapital, raised $20M. Niya Partners and Tribe Capital co-led the round.
SoftBank introduced its second Open Opportunity Fund (OOF), aiming to raise and invest $150M in founders from Black and Latino communities in the United States.
Bitso, the leading cryptocurrency exchange in Latin America, has reached a user base of 7 million across the region.

Founders Bookmarks

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