The sharing economy is getting a little bit bigger.

Swimply Inc., the Venice-based platform that provides homeowners a way to rent out their pools, back yards and tennis courts, announced in late October that they would be expanding its offerings. Swimply is now offering consumers access to indoor pools, hot tubs, saunas and so-called “man caves.”

“It’s like a TV with a PS5 and like 30 video games and a pool table and a fridge that’s filled with beer,” said Bunim Laskin, Swimply’s chief executive. “A lot of these guys just obsess over these really passionate spaces that they really love, and now other people can get access to them.”

Laskin founded Swimply in 2019. The oldest of 12 kids, whose family came from little means, he said he used to pester a neighbor about renting out her pool during a lazy summer day. He quickly realized he could act as the neighborhood agent, and he began connecting families with nearby amenities for a fee and taking his cut from the sale.

“Ever since then, I’ve just been helping families like my own get access to spaces that are rare and exclusive…so everyone can essentially enjoy this higher quality lifestyle and get access to these beautiful spaces,” he said.

Sharing economy

The sharing economy, a term codified in the Oxford Dictionary in 2015, is a peculiar phenomenon that emerged in the 2010s as digitization allowed the commodification of things once never thought possible. That includes a couch-to-bed setup on a fifth-floor walkup offered through Airbnb Inc., a guaranteed parking spot in a private garage from Neighbor or even a patch of grass to unleash a rambunctious dog from Sniffspot Inc. The business strategy allows customers to pay for utility and function of a piece of property – whether it be a power tool or a bed – rather than pay for the ownership of it.

The sharing economy emerged out of the 2008 financial crisis as a way for property owners to make extra cash out of existing assets in a struggling economy.

That vision has changed. Over time, platforms like Airbnb have turned home renting into full-fledged businesses and have become the poster child for the housing affordability crisis. In the case of TaskRabbit Inc. and Uber Technologies Inc., the services that users purchased were no longer worth the cost it took to run the platform.

“(They) can facilitate sustainability by enhancing resource efficiency, minimizing waste, and encouraging collaborative consumption as positive unintended effects,” a study in the Journal of Cleaner Production said in April. “Conversely, they may function as disruptors, resulting in heightened consumption, environmental degradation and social inequalities as negative unintended effects.”

In Los Angeles, out-of-work entertainment employees turned to Swimply when the SAG-AFTRA strike stretched, according to Laskin. And as the U.S. falls back into economic uncertainty, Swimply has seen more social bookings in 2025 than ever before, Laskin said.

Pilates communities and book clubs are meeting in the intimate venue of a family home backyard rather than the neighborhood bar. Swimply is acting as a wedding venue. In L.A., Laskin booked a music studio from a host that had virtually every instrument in the world for him to try out.

“You can spend thousands of dollars to go thousands of miles away,” Laskin said. “(Swimply) ends up being a really affordable alternative that still gets you away, that still recharges you.”