How I Got Here - Inside stories behind innovation and startups in travel

Kevin May / David Litwak
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How I Got Here - Inside stories behind innovation and startups in travel Podcast

The weekly How I Got Here podcast talks to those behind the success stories in travel and transportation, hosted by PhocusWire's Kevin May and David Litwak at Mozio.

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  1. 51. Josh Wyatt of Generator Hostels

    EPISODE 51

    51. Josh Wyatt of Generator Hostels

    The concept of upmarket hostel accommodation was, some argue, fairly alien in the youth travel sector until fairly recently. Generator Hostels was a single-property brand in London, launched in the mid-1990s, but was considered the perfect place to try out a new approach to the sector when Josh Wyatt came onboard in 2007 with a pile of venture money. The hostel was overhauled and reopened with, as he puts it, "design and experience" at the center. Within a few years, the brand had expanded quickly to launch a string of facilities in a number of countries, indicating that the youth travel market had evolved and become more aware of the aesthetics of a stay, triggered in part by the self-conscious world of social media. Wyatt continued with Generator until 2016, when he left to eventually launch the NeueHouse brand, where he is now CEO. He joins us at the latest guest on How I Got Here, as we launch the third season of our podcast. HIGH is a weekly show produced by PhocusWire and Mozio, aimed at getting the inside stories behind startups and innovation in travel and transportation. It's hosted by PhocusWire's editor in chief, Kevin May, and Mozio co-founder and CEO David Litwak. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    43 min
  2. 52. Jamie Wong of Vayable

    EPISODE 52

    52. Jamie Wong of Vayable

    It's not the most well-trodden path in online travel - a producer on the hit The Daily Show With John Stewart to CEO of a tours and activities business. But it's one that Jamie Wong took when she launched Vayable, pivoting from the world of television in 2010. The U.S.-based platform connected tourists with locals providing experiences in their cities, starting in San Francisco where Wong headquartered the company. Getting a nascent business off the ground, in what was then still an emerging category in the industry, wasn't easy. A number of co-founders came and went, competitors arrived and disappeared, too. Wong stayed with the business until 2017. She has since gone on to form the Narrative.Fund investment vehicle alongside Erik Blachford of Expedia and Technology Crossover Ventures fame.  She joins us as the latest guest on How I Got Here. HIGH is a weekly show produced by PhocusWire and Mozio, aimed at getting the inside stories behind startups and innovation in travel and transportation. It's hosted by PhocusWire's editor in chief, Kevin May, and Mozio co-founder and CEO David Litwak. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    46 min
  3. 53. Atle Skalleberg of StudentUniverse

    EPISODE 53

    53. Atle Skalleberg of StudentUniverse

    Atle Skalleberg's career so far has been a combination of being in the right place at the right time, smart decisions and perseverance. After arriving in the U.S. from Norway, he eventually took a job at StudentUniverse, prepared to do anything in order to learn the basics of business and, just as importantly, secure a visa. Within a few years, he was running the company - an online travel agency for youth and student travel - and setting it on a period of growth, an acquisition and its eventual sale to Flight Centre Group. He is a strong believer in mentoring, being honest about what's possible and taking your time when it comes to finding the right partner (and acquirer). He joins us at the latest guest on How I Got Here. HIGH is a weekly show produced by PhocusWire and Mozio, aimed at getting the inside stories behind startups and innovation in travel and transportation. It's hosted by PhocusWire's editor in chief, Kevin May, and Mozio co-founder and CEO David Litwak. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    40 min
  4. 54. Avi Brosh of Palisociety

    EPISODE 54

    54. Avi Brosh of Palisociety

    Avi Brosh was a successful real estate executive before he became passionate about hospitality. But that shift into the hotel sector was not driven by a desire to create identikit properties at the budget end of the market or, indeed, identikit properties for the upscale market. Palisociety was formed with design at the heart of everything it does, from the location and architecture to ancillaries and furnishings. In short, Brosh is obsessed with the design aspects of his portfolio of hotels - whether they are owned outright or part of a management agreement. He's not your typical hotel executive nor a startup entrepreneur of the Silicon Valley variety. Brosh joins us at the latest guest on How I Got Here. HIGH is a weekly show produced by PhocusWire and Mozio, aimed at getting the inside stories behind startups and innovation in travel and transportation. It's hosted by PhocusWire's editor in chief, Kevin May, and Mozio co-founder and CEO David Litwak. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    46 min
  5. 55. Julian Stiefel and Julian Weselek of Tourlane

    EPISODE 55

    55. Julian Stiefel and Julian Weselek of Tourlane

    There are not too many two childhood friends who ventured into different worlds of work and then came back to form a startup in the travel industry. But Julian Stiefel and Julian Weselek of Tourlane did exactly that and now, half a decade on, Tourlane is one of the leading multi-day tours and activities platforms in the market. The Germany-based company has raised over $100 million in investment capital and curates trips in Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Middle East. Weselek and Stiefel join us at the latest guests on How I Got Here. HIGH is a weekly show produced by PhocusWire and Mozio, aimed at getting the inside stories behind startups and innovation in travel and transportation. It's hosted by PhocusWire's editor in chief, Kevin May, and Mozio co-founder and CEO David Litwak. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    46 min
  6. 56. Steve Domin of Duffel

    EPISODE 56

    56. Steve Domin of Duffel

    Duffel has generated a fair amount of buzz since it came on the scene in 2017. In part, this was due to a strategy to try and keep "stealthy" during its early phase of building a next-generation airline distribution platform. It eventually emerged into the public eye with a sizeable investment round (it has since raised over $56 million in capital) and a number of important partners, including American Airlines and British Airways. Steve Domin and the founding team used the quiet period to learn as much about the complex world of airline ticketing and retailing - a process that involved a lot of conversations and head-scratching over why previous attempts had failed to overhaul a process that has taken decades to develop.  Domin joins us as the latest guest on How I Got Here. HIGH is a weekly show produced by PhocusWire and Mozio, aimed at getting the inside stories behind startups and innovation in travel and transportation. It's hosted by PhocusWire's editor in chief, Kevin May, and Mozio co-founder and CEO David Litwak. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    34 min
  7. 57. Greg O'Hara of Certares

    EPISODE 57

    57. Greg O'Hara of Certares

    Greg O'Hara has become an influential player on the travel scene since he joined Sabre in the 1990s. He admits to quitting roles after falling out with management  - or getting fired - on a number of occasions in the intervening years before creating the Certares private equity vehicle in 2012. But that experience at Sabre, Worldspan and JPMorgan has created an astute and outspoken financial operator, with interests and investments through Certares at Liberty Tripadvisor, AmaWaterways, G Adventures, Getaway, LATAM Airlines and, perhaps most high-profile, Amex Global Business Travel. O'Hara joins us as the latest guest on How I Got Here. HIGH is a weekly show produced by PhocusWire and Mozio, aimed at getting the inside stories behind startups and innovation in travel and transportation. It's hosted by PhocusWire's editor in chief, Kevin May, and Mozio co-founder and CEO David Litwak. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    46 min
  8. 58. Rami Zeidan of Life House

    EPISODE 58

    58. Rami Zeidan of Life House

    Rami Zeidan is a founder on a mission. After working in the finance and real estate worlds for the early part of his career, including overseeing such activities for Starwood, Zeidan took the plunge into the operational part of the equation and launched his own hospitality brand. Life House was created in 2017 and has since grown to include a portfolio of its own properties and dozens more under management. The lifestyle-type hotel brand has since gone on to raise around $40 million in investment capital and focused on providing both upmarket hotel experiences and development of its tech for use elsewhere. Most recently, Life House has struck a deal with travel search engine Kayak (announced after our interview with Zeidan was recorded) for a rebranding exercise on a property in Miami. Zeidan joins us as the latest guest on How I Got Here. HIGH is a weekly show produced by PhocusWire and Mozio, aimed at getting the inside stories behind startups and innovation in travel and transportation. It's hosted by PhocusWire's editor in chief, Kevin May, and Mozio co-founder and CEO David Litwak. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    48 min
See All Season 3 (20)

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The weekly How I Got Here podcast talks to those behind the success stories in travel and transportation, hosted by PhocusWire's Kevin May and David Litwak at Mozio.

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