Airbnb of pools: Swimply lets pool owners earn money and swimmers rent private pools

The first swimming-pool sharing site and app, Swimply, is gaining popularity as summer arrives and social distancing is the new norm.

"About 4,000 pools have signed up mostly in the last couple months so lots of pools signing up," Swimply co-founder Asher Weinberger said. "We have about 100,000 people who have signed up as swimmers.

"I can tell you this is not just a side gig, people are making real money here," Weinberger added. "I can tell you personally my own pool on platform for four weeks, I had already made $10,000 in four weeks. We have hosts, who if, are in the right location and the right pool, making $20- $30,000 thousand in a summer."

The pool-sharing platform has been around since the summer of 2019 and founders even made an appearance on ABC's hit show, Shark Tank in March.

Coronavirus restrictions have helped it boost business.

"I hate to say it because the pandemic, it affects all of us," Weinberger said. "Personally, it affected me and my family very much. It's not a good thing, right, but for our business, it's been the best thing ever.

"There's been a shift away from public domain to private domain," Weinberger added. "We are offering a truly contactless experience. We're replacing the gym; we're replacing Chuck E Cheese for birthday parties. So, we are offering a viable and safe alternative for people in a difficult time and that's something we're very thankful for and appreciate of."

Swimply connects swimmers with nearby homeowners with private pools willing to rent them out by the hour. To find a pool. you enter your ZIP Code, search through the photos of pools in your area and request a rental.

Weinberger said Swimply has partnerships with local pool maintenance companies that do 24-point health and safety inspections, and they also do basic background checks.

"You'd be shocked at the different uses for a pool," Weinberger said. "I'm surprised every day. My own pool, I recently had a couple scientists using my pool to test out underwater drones."

Consumers want access to pools for more than just swimming.

"There's all kinds of reasons people want pools. We've got Baptisms, we've got weddings, you name it. All kinds of things going on. I love the doggie parties, that's the best," Weinberger said.

He said he sees private rentals as an emerging business and will soon launch Joyspace, a platform for renting private tennis or basketball courts and home gyms.