Justine Palefsky grew up in San Francisco, raised by open-minded, community-oriented parents who treated their home as a shared asset and took her to Burning Man. That ethos of hospitality, gifting and non-transactional exchange became the foundation for everything that followed.
After studying cognitive neuroscience at Brown, she moved into customer experience roles at OpenDoor and Homebound. When she decided to take the leap into building her own company, she made a deliberate and unusual choice: she wanted a co-founder first. Matchmade by OpenDoor's CEO Eric Wu, Justine and Tasneem Amina spent four days locked in a cabin in Calistoga doing what Justine calls "co-founder dating".
What emerged was Kindred: a members-only home-swapping platform now with over 350,000 members across 150+ cities, 450,000 nights booked and $150 million raised. The radical bet at its core? Remove money from the guest-host relationship entirely. No buying credits. Every home is equal. A give-to-get economy where the most generous members hold the most power (not the wealthiest). It's a small pocket of the world built the way Justine wishes the rest of it worked.
In this episode we cover:
Growing up with community values in San Francisco
Studying cognitive neuroscience at Brown
Why she chose her co-founder before her product idea
The "co-founder dating" cabin retreat - questions to ask before you commit
The history of home swapping, from Intervac in the 1950s to today
Why Kindred removes payment between guests and hosts — and why Silicon Valley thought she was crazy
Building a platform based on Radical Generosity
How handwritten thank-you notes became a cultural pillar of the platform
Raising $150 million while refusing to grow at all costs — the "no assholes rule" for investors
What it means to lead as a woman who is "not Zuck" — and dropping the CEO mask
Burnout, the cost of giving a damn, and how to pull yourself back
Defining the meaning of life for yourself and sticking to it
This season of The Slow Down is sponsored by female-founded, Greek swim and resortwear brand Kiohne. The Slow Down listeners can use code theslowdown for 20% off their first shop on kiohne.com. Enter their world, explore their collection and buy beautiful pieces designed to be enjoyed while slowing down this summer.
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