Sam Shank

Co-Founder @ Stand, advisor & angel investor, former CEO HotelTonight

San Francisco, California, United States

About

Sam is a serial entrepreneur, advisor and company-builder. He is co-founder of Stand, an AI-native homeowners insurer. As an advisor, he focuses on marketplaces and online travel - including Nuitee, Joy, GameTime and Operto. In 2010, Sam founded and was CEO of HotelTonight, a last-minute hotel deals app. He grew HotelTonight to be the dominant last minute hotel booking app, raising over $100m in funding, and generating billions of dollars in gross hotel bookings. Airbnb acquired the company in 2019. In addition to continuing to run HotelTonight, Sam held various roles at Airbnb, including Head of Guest Experience and Head of Commercialization. Previous to HotelTonight, Sam founded and was CEO of DealBase.com, a travel deals search engine, and founded and was CEO of TravelPost.com, a hotel reviews site. Sam lives in the Bay Area with his wife and their two children. He has a strong interest in film and storytelling, and in his early 20s was an assistant to Wes Craven on the film Scream.

Experience

  • Co-Founder at Stand
    Nov 2023 - Present · 2 yrs 11 mos

  • Advisor at Nuitée
    Jan 2025 - Present · 1 yr 9 mos

  • Board Member at Terra Mobility
    Apr 2024 - Present · 2 yrs 6 mos

  • Advisor at Gametime
    Mar 2024 - Present · 2 yrs 7 mos

  • Board Member at Operto Guest Technologies
    Mar 2023 - Present · 3 yrs 7 mos