About & Press
Bio
Joe Gebbia is a designtrepreneur who's work is broad and eclectic, crossing over disciplines such as industrial design, print, and web-based experiences. The hybrid creative joins his creations together with an enthusiasm to regard things in ways that aren't immediately obvious. His work has been covered in publications like BusinessWeek, Time Magazine, I.D, and across the internet.
Joe's lifelong fascination for art and design led him to the Rhode Island School of Design where he honed his conceptual skills, garnering dual degrees in product design and graphic design. His creative pursuits were complimented via business coursework at Brown University and MIT, preparing him for the 2005 launch of his first patented product, CritBuns. The uniquely shaped seat cushion combines a form, function, and language inspired during an uncomfortable art critique, or 'crit', while at RISD.
The curvaceous foam object led him to question the role of materials in design, and the idea of 'intellectual ecology' - how to do good through design while still providing a platform for function and commentary. The manifestation of this concept takes the form of 'Ecolect' - a database allowing other designers to discover and find inspiration in alternative materials.
Continuing the thread of resourcefulness, he co-founded Airbnb in 2008. Dubbed by Time Magazine as the "eBay of space", Airbnb allows anyone with a couch, extra bedroom, or entire house to rent it to a traveler looking for accommodations. What began in his San Francisco apartment has spread to 16,000 cities in over 186 countries, creating a new economy for thousands of people around the world.
Education
Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI (2000 - 2005)
BFA Industrial Design
BFA Graphic Design
Brown University, Providence, RI (2001 - 2005)
Liberal Arts Studies
MIT Sloan School of Business, Boston, MA (2004)
Joint Course 'Product Design and Development'
Speaking Engagements
FailCon (Oct 24, 2011)
PSFK Conference San Francisco (Oct 6, 2011)
Inman Real Estate Connect (July 28, 2011)
GigaOm GreenNet (April 21, 2011)
PSFK Conference New York (April 8, 2011)
Pecha Kucha (March 2011)
Rhode Island School of Design, Freshman class (Sept 12, 2010)
Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley (April 2010)
Student Day 2010 Hosted by IIDA & ASID (Feb 2010)
Bootstrapping Before Professional Money, Propel ICT (August 2009)
NeoCon Student Keynote (June 2009)
UC Berkeley (Oct 2008)
Chronicle Books (Mar 2008)
Ecolect Mid-West Launch Event (Jan 2008)
Pecha Kucha (Nov 2007)
Rhode Island School of Design, ID Dept (Oct 2007)
Pecha Kucha (Oct 2007)
IDSA MidEast Conference "Big Brands, Big Ideas" (April 2007)
Pecha Kucha (Feb 2007)
Press
Fortune April 2011
Inc Magazine March 2011
Forbes Nov 2010
Inc Magazine July 2010
NY Times July 2010
Cooper Hewitt July 2010
Core77 Feb 2010
NY Times October 2009
Valet Mag October 2009
Alltrepreneur August 2009
BisNow June 2009
Time Magazine April 2009
Fortune Magazine April 2009
Business Week March 2009
TechCrunch March 2009
Core77 December 2008
Daniel Pink October 2008
Wall Street Journal August 2008
I.D. Magazine Online July 2008
RISD Blog June 2008
Entrepreneur June 2008
USA Today April 2008
Dexigner April 2008
Designboom April 2008
IDSA Interview: Who's Next March 2008
Providence Business News October 2007
Innovation Magazine January 2007
Visao Magazine January 2007
ID Magazine December 2006
Sports Illustrated January 2005
RISD Interview July 2002
Associated Press January 2001
Awards & Honors
Airbnb named best Mobile App, SXSW Interactive Awards (2011)
Airbnb nominated for 'Best Design', Crunchies (2011)
30-under-30 (2010)
Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial (2010)
Business Week: Top 20 Best Young Tech Entrepreneurs (2009)
Selected to Y-Combinator seed fund (2009)
Selected to Designboom NYC Exhibit (2009)
RISD Alumni Council Executive Committee (2005 - current)
Selected to Designboom Sydney Exhibit (2008)
Selected to Designboom Tokyo Exhibit (2007)
Selected to Designboom NYC Exhibit (2007)
CritBuns named "Best of 2006", ID Magazine (2006)
Selected to Chronicle Books ID Fellowship (2006)
Steven T. Mendelson Community Service Award, RISD (2005)
Thomas A. Edison Award for Innovation, RISD Industrial Design Dept (2005)
RISD Varisty Basketball Team, Founder & Co-captain (2000 - 2005)
Student Leadership Scholarship, RISD (2003)
Student Body President, RISD (2002 - 2003)
RISD Orientation Leader (2001 - 2005)
Joe Gebbia is a designtrepreneur who's work is broad and eclectic, crossing over disciplines such as industrial design, print, and web-based experiences. The hybrid creative joins his creations together with an enthusiasm to regard things in ways that aren't immediately obvious. His work has been covered in publications like BusinessWeek, Time Magazine, I.D, and across the internet.
Joe's lifelong fascination for art and design led him to the Rhode Island School of Design where he honed his conceptual skills, garnering dual degrees in product design and graphic design. His creative pursuits were complimented via business coursework at Brown University and MIT, preparing him for the 2005 launch of his first patented product, CritBuns. The uniquely shaped seat cushion combines a form, function, and language inspired during an uncomfortable art critique, or 'crit', while at RISD.
The curvaceous foam object led him to question the role of materials in design, and the idea of 'intellectual ecology' - how to do good through design while still providing a platform for function and commentary. The manifestation of this concept takes the form of 'Ecolect' - a database allowing other designers to discover and find inspiration in alternative materials.
Continuing the thread of resourcefulness, he co-founded Airbnb in 2008. Dubbed by Time Magazine as the "eBay of space", Airbnb allows anyone with a couch, extra bedroom, or entire house to rent it to a traveler looking for accommodations. What began in his San Francisco apartment has spread to 16,000 cities in over 186 countries, creating a new economy for thousands of people around the world.
Education
Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI (2000 - 2005)
BFA Industrial Design
BFA Graphic Design
Brown University, Providence, RI (2001 - 2005)
Liberal Arts Studies
MIT Sloan School of Business, Boston, MA (2004)
Joint Course 'Product Design and Development'
Speaking Engagements
FailCon (Oct 24, 2011)
PSFK Conference San Francisco (Oct 6, 2011)
Inman Real Estate Connect (July 28, 2011)
GigaOm GreenNet (April 21, 2011)
PSFK Conference New York (April 8, 2011)
Pecha Kucha (March 2011)
Rhode Island School of Design, Freshman class (Sept 12, 2010)
Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley (April 2010)
Student Day 2010 Hosted by IIDA & ASID (Feb 2010)
Bootstrapping Before Professional Money, Propel ICT (August 2009)
NeoCon Student Keynote (June 2009)
UC Berkeley (Oct 2008)
Chronicle Books (Mar 2008)
Ecolect Mid-West Launch Event (Jan 2008)
Pecha Kucha (Nov 2007)
Rhode Island School of Design, ID Dept (Oct 2007)
Pecha Kucha (Oct 2007)
IDSA MidEast Conference "Big Brands, Big Ideas" (April 2007)
Pecha Kucha (Feb 2007)
Press
Fortune April 2011
Inc Magazine March 2011
Forbes Nov 2010
Inc Magazine July 2010
NY Times July 2010
Cooper Hewitt July 2010
Core77 Feb 2010
NY Times October 2009
Valet Mag October 2009
Alltrepreneur August 2009
BisNow June 2009
Time Magazine April 2009
Fortune Magazine April 2009
Business Week March 2009
TechCrunch March 2009
Core77 December 2008
Daniel Pink October 2008
Wall Street Journal August 2008
I.D. Magazine Online July 2008
RISD Blog June 2008
Entrepreneur June 2008
USA Today April 2008
Dexigner April 2008
Designboom April 2008
IDSA Interview: Who's Next March 2008
Providence Business News October 2007
Innovation Magazine January 2007
Visao Magazine January 2007
ID Magazine December 2006
Sports Illustrated January 2005
RISD Interview July 2002
Associated Press January 2001
Awards & Honors
Airbnb named best Mobile App, SXSW Interactive Awards (2011)
Airbnb nominated for 'Best Design', Crunchies (2011)
30-under-30 (2010)
Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial (2010)
Business Week: Top 20 Best Young Tech Entrepreneurs (2009)
Selected to Y-Combinator seed fund (2009)
Selected to Designboom NYC Exhibit (2009)
RISD Alumni Council Executive Committee (2005 - current)
Selected to Designboom Sydney Exhibit (2008)
Selected to Designboom Tokyo Exhibit (2007)
Selected to Designboom NYC Exhibit (2007)
CritBuns named "Best of 2006", ID Magazine (2006)
Selected to Chronicle Books ID Fellowship (2006)
Steven T. Mendelson Community Service Award, RISD (2005)
Thomas A. Edison Award for Innovation, RISD Industrial Design Dept (2005)
RISD Varisty Basketball Team, Founder & Co-captain (2000 - 2005)
Student Leadership Scholarship, RISD (2003)
Student Body President, RISD (2002 - 2003)
RISD Orientation Leader (2001 - 2005)