Honours
The story
Latifah Altamimi got the idea for Gathern while studying at Wright State University in Ohio in 2016, after a neighbour introduced her to Airbnb by renting out a room. Peer-to-peer rentals were not common in Saudi Arabia, so she called Eman Alsuwailem and the two spent seven hours planning a Saudi version. She returned home in 2017 and spent a year researching the market, talking to property owners and guests. They found that Saudi Arabia had plenty of chalets, farms and private homes, but most were booked through phone calls and personal contacts. Gathern became the online marketplace for them, and the first company licensed by the Ministry of Tourism for peer-to-peer rentals. It became profitable in 2023, holds about 44% of the Saudi short-term rental market and has more than 72,000 units and 5 million registered users. A $72 million Series B in 2025 valued it at over $266 million.
