# Justine Palefsky

> Justine Palefsky is the San Francisco-based co-founder and CEO of Kindred, a members-only home-swapping network founded with Tasneem Amina in 2021. A Brown cognitive neuroscience graduate and former Bain, Opendoor and Homebound operator, she focuses on customer experience, trust and reciprocity to make travel more accessible.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at Kindred
- **Organizations:** Kindred, Opendoor, Homebound, Bain & Company
- **From:** San Francisco, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** ScB in Cognitive Neuroscience, Brown University, Urban School of San Francisco
- **Known for:** Co-founded Kindred and serves as CEO., Developed Opendoor’s Trade-Up product and scaled its Self-Tour program., Founded Women of Opendoor.

## Career timeline

- **2009** — Listed as co-editor-in-chief of the Urban Legend, the Urban School newspaper.
- **2013** — Graduated from Brown University; began her post-college career at Bain & Company.
- **2015-2019** — Worked at Opendoor, including as Head of Visit Experience.
- **2019-2021** — Led customer experience and brand at Homebound.
- **2021** — Co-founded Kindred with Tasneem Amina.
- **2022** — Kindred launched publicly.
- **2026** — Kindred announced $125 million in new capital across its Series B and Series C rounds.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Kindred and serves as CEO.
- Developed Opendoor’s Trade-Up product and scaled its Self-Tour program.
- Founded Women of Opendoor.
- Kindred reported nearly 300,000 members across more than 150 cities in its February 2026 funding announcement.
- Appeared on CNN International’s Quest Means Business in September 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Appeared on CNN International on September 8; said the Women Travelers Circle, launched in July, attracted over 10,000 members in approximately four weeks.
- **2026-09** — Participated in Fast Company’s Innovation Festival panel on turning an audience into a community, published September 16.
- **2026-09** — Featured in the September 29 episode of What It Takes with Olly Fawcett.
- **2026-04** — Discussed the shift from hands-on direction to creating conditions for the team in a WIE Suite interview.
- **2026-02** — Kindred announced $125 million in new funding on February 3, including a Series B co-led by NEA and Dylan Field and a Series C led by Index Ventures.

## Links

- Website: https://livekindred.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justine-palefsky
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/JustinePalefsky

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/justine-palefsky
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-11