Lake.com, a vacation rental marketplace, secured $2.6 million in pre-seed funding. The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) led the round, with angel investors also participating. This capital will transform how travelers and AI agents book waterfront stays.
The company addresses a $20 billion segment within the U.S. vacation rental market, projected for 53% annual growth. Lake.com already features 40,000 properties across 7,000 destinations in North America and Europe. Furthermore, it targets facilitating over 100,000 bookings within the next 18-24 months.
Redefining Waterfront Stays with AI
Legacy marketplaces often bury lakeside homes among millions of urban listings. These platforms, including Airbnb and Vrbo, frequently offer poor filters, unclear policies, and unexpected fees. Lake.com solves these issues with AI-first discovery, transparent pricing, and standardized policies. Consequently, guests see only nightly rates plus host-set fees, avoiding service charges. Moreover, hosts benefit from a single cancellation framework and faster payouts.
Lake.com builds for a future where AI in travel plays a central role in trip planning. Its structured, lake-specific taxonomy captures shoreline nuances and water activities. This significantly improves search match quality and traveler conversion. The platform optimizes for Answer-Engine Optimization (AEO), ensuring visibility in the growing AI discovery ecosystem. As a result, Lake.com appears in 47% of U.S. AI-generated vacation rental responses as of July 2025, surpassing competitors. This demonstrates its strong position in travel technology.
