Through my experiences engaging with AirBnB I realized the difficulties incoming international students and those on working holiday visas face in trying to secure appropriate long-term housing in Toronto due to a lack of domestic credit and employment history, as well as requirement of one year leases.

In response I created Arooma Canada as a micro-enterprise to cater to the housing needs of this audience. This is primary focused on establishing well-managed shared living spaces that provide furnished rooms on flexible leases. Additionally, as a small scale pilot project we began a spin-off service to provide personalized househunting support to make for an easy and comfortable arrival.

Additionally, Arooma has begun to convene networks to rethink how we approach shared living, by trying to create a regulatory and financing environment that is conducive to effective shared living.

On a personal level this has been a tremendous learning experience in global business model design and utilizing technology to support operational scaleability.