In a sign of rising investor confidence in India’s organised managed-living and premium hostel segment, Tribe Stays, a Pune-based hospitality brand focused on long-stay accommodation, has raised USD 2.8 million (~INR 24.8 crore) in a seed round. Tribe Stays seed funding round was co-led by Artha Venture Fund and Riverwalk Holdings, with participation from several notable investors, including Kunal Khanna (Founder & CEO, Vivaldis), Krishna Jain, and multiple HNIs and family offices.
Tribe Stays seed funding marks one of the most prominent early-stage deals in India’s co-living and student-accommodation space in 2025, underscoring renewed momentum in the category following a pandemic-induced slump.
Aiming for Scale: 650 Beds Today, 25,000 Tomorrow
Tribe Stays currently operates 650 beds in Pune, spanning its three premium sub-brands:
- Tribe Student Accommodation (hostels),
- Tribe Commune (co-living), and
- Tribe Suites (executive apartments).
Armed with fresh capital, the company plans to launch 1,000 new beds within the ongoing financial year, and has outlined an aggressive roadmap to expand to 25,000 beds across key Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities, including Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Gurugram, and Pune.
Founded in 2018 by Yogesh Mehra, with Shantam Mehra and Aman Mehra joining as co-founders, Tribe Stays positions itself at the intersection of hospitality, real estate, and lifestyle services — targeting students, young professionals, corporates, and long-stay travellers seeking a premium, curated living experience.
Investor Thesis: Tapping a Massive, Underpenetrated Market
The lead investors have expressed strong conviction in Tribe’s positioning within India’s fast-formalising managed accommodation sector.
- Anirudh Damani, Managing Partner at Artha Venture Fund, noted Tribe’s ability to address a “massive, underpenetrated market” with an asset-light, hospitality-led model that is both scalable and potentially profitable.
- Jai Sumer Singh, Co-founder & Partner at Riverwalk Holdings, highlighted that sustainable scaling in premium co-living requires “deep hospitality DNA coupled with real estate execution” — capabilities the Tribe team has built early.
Tribe Stays latest funding is viewed as strategic in a market where investors are showing renewed appetite for long-stay and youth-centred housing. Recent sector activity — including fresh fundraising plans from peers like Stanza Living, and capital infusions into HooLiv and Colive — reflects a broader shift toward organised solutions in a traditionally fragmented market.
Strategic Direction: Beyond Beds to Full-Stack Hospitality
Tribe Stays intends to deploy the funds toward:
- Geographical expansion,
- Scaling each of its sub-brands,
- Enhancing lifestyle and community experiences, and
- Forging partnerships with universities and corporations needing managed housing for relocation and extended stays.
Its facilities typically offer 24/7 food services, housekeeping, fitness centres, and tech-enabled learning or community environments — positioning Tribe as a lifestyle and hospitality brand rather than merely an accommodation provider.
Yogesh Mehra, Founder & CEO, emphasised that the company is “redefining how young India experiences living,” focusing on thoughtfully designed spaces, a hospitality-first approach, and strong community engagement.
Industry Backdrop
India’s student accommodation and young-professional housing market — once hit hard during 2020–2021 — is now witnessing a resurgence. A recent estimate values India’s affordable co-living market at USD 2.3 billion (~INR 20,380 crore) by 2030, supported by urban migration, rising student enrolment, and demand for organised, safe, and amenity-rich living options.
Players like Stanza Living, Zolo, Your-Space, Colive, and OYO’s long-stay verticals form the competitive landscape. However, Tribe’s focus on the premium segment gives it distinct positioning.
The company’s target audience — guests seeking up to one year of accommodation — also positions it well to benefit from India’s growing trend of hybrid learning, contract-based jobs, and relocation-driven professional mobility.
Conclusion
Tribe Stays seed round is more than just another investment announcement — it reflects mounting confidence in India’s evolving managed-living ecosystem. With strong backers, a clear value proposition, and a roadmap that prioritises scale and service excellence, Tribe is positioning itself as a potential category leader in premium student and professional accommodation.
If it maintains its execution rhythm and capital discipline, Tribe Stays could emerge as one of the most influential players shaping the future of India’s organised long-stay living landscape.
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