*By Madison Alworth*
In the sharing economy, you don't need a huge dining room to throw a luxurious dinner party. You can just rent one.
That's the idea behind [Splacer](https://www.splacer.co/), a new start-up that aims to be the Airbnb of event spaces.
"Airbnb laid the first foundation stone of understanding we can share space," said Splacer CEO Adi Biran.
Her company, she said Thursday in an interview on Cheddar, wants to take the sharing economy one step further.
"Splacer's offering the rest of the spaces. If we can share our own homes, why wouldn't we share our offices, our churches, galleries, distilleries, barber shops, and so on?" she asked.
Splacer offers space rental either by the hour or per day. The start-up encourages consumers to find the perfect spot for their art, special events, parties, and beyond.
The company first launched in Tel Aviv, Israel, but has since expanded to five U.S. cities: New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, and Chicago.
The once-foreign idea of a gig economy is now growing even within individual industries. Ride-sharing started with Uber and Lyft and now includes bike and scooter companies like Bird and Lime. So perhaps it makes sense that real estate rentals branched into bigger spaces.
"This is something that will be extensively used by everyone who is really looking to access a space as opposed to owning it," Biran said.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/finding-the-perfect-splacer-for-your-next-event).
President Biden announced a ban on Russian oil and natural gas imports to the U.S. in response to its invasion of Ukraine, a move he warned could lead to an even greater surge in gas prices. The ban is prompting a conversation about the current oil production levels in the U.S. and whether or not the industry can ramp up production to soften the blow to American families at the gas pump. Clark Williams-Derry, Energy Finance Analyst with the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, breaks down the state of the U.S. oil industry and how the ban might impact production levels here at home.
PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, and Starbucks are the latest American food brands to have halted business operations in Russia after having faced scrutiny and criticism for originally failing to do so amid the country's invasion of Ukraine.
As Russia intensifies its war on Ukraine, President Biden announced a ban on oil imported from the aggressor nation. Critics of Russia have said this would be the best way to force Putin to pull back, but curbs on Russian oil exports are expected to send already skyrocketing oil and gas prices even higher, further impacting consumers, businesses, financial markets, and the global economy. Leslie Beyer, CEO of the Energy Workforce and Technology Council, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss. "It's certainly going to increase pricing, but it is the right thing to do," she said. "The industry itself has already pulled out of the significant portion of its operations in Russia."
As airlines recover from COVID-19 and the industry becomes more competitive than ever, low-fare carrier Breeze Airlines is offering 35 new routes and reduced prices for its first-class experiences. CEO David Neeleman joined Cheddar News to talk about the rollout of services amid plenty of headwinds including high fuel costs. "We can limit a lot of costs because we're a technology company that happens to fly airplanes," he noted.
Despite women as a whole being among the groups most impacted by pandemic job losses, homesharing platform Airbnb reported that women hosts brought in $12 billion in revenue last year. Catherine Powell, Airbnb's global head of hosting, joined Cheddar News to discuss how women hosting has become a huge asset for the company. "Last year 21 percent more women joined the platform than men," she said. "So they are joining the platform. They are being successful. They're more super hosts, and they're doing incredibly well."
