The Travel Startup: TravelStarter

This month in The Travel Start-Up we profile Blaz Jemc from TravelStarter, a marketing platform for unique projects in local tourism and communities. A travel insider from our Ljubljana, Slovenia chapter, Blaz took some time out to chat about this unique crowdfunding source for the travel industry.

What is TravelStarter? 

TravelStarter is a crowdfunding platform for big and small ideas in tourism. We help businesses, such us hostels, coffee shops, hotels, travel agencies and others get funding and market themselves to travellers from around the world.

Who is your start-up for?

Our start-up is for local entrepreneurs and travellers who want to connect with locals. TravelStarter is a two way street: 1) It helps local entrepreneurs get their tourism business off the ground, and 2) it offers travelers a chance to help and meet creative locals when they travel.

What gap did you find in the travel industry that inspired you to create this start-up?

I have been involved in tourism for the past 15 years. While I was travelling, I saw how little money actually stays in the local communities. Several years ago I started following the trend of crowdfunding, which I see as an exciting new way of financing interesting projects with the help of the crowd. At the same time I noticed that no existing platform was catering to the tourism sector, so we decided to create a service that will do just that – support the growth and development of all ideas in tourism – big and small.

Travel Massive is about empowering change in travel. How is your start-up changing the future of the industry, helping to make travel better or giving back to the world?

We help people get directly connected to their travel experience. As traveller you can you stay at a hostel you helped to build, or eat at a restaurant you helped to open. We consider it more than just giving back, it’s giving forward!

It can also be used to create new business opportunities, like opening a new guest house, starting a travel agency, or setting up a restaurant. A hostel can raise funds to renovate their common room, a coffee shop can use it to expand their space to bring in more business or an adventure company can create a new exciting activity to offer. Anything that can improve the local travel landscape. We crowdfund big and small ideas in tourism.

What challenges have you faced in getting your start-up launched and gaining traction in the industry?

Getting the message out globally is definitely a big challenge, and we still have a long way to go. Attending Travel Massive events have helped however – we’ve been able to connect with like-minded people through the community. It’s a great support group for us.

Do you have any tips for new entrepreneurs who want to create a successful start-up?

Be persistent and patient. It is the road that counts at the end, not the goal. Be open to the people you meet and to the feedback you get.

Tell us about your own travels! What do you think makes a most memorable trip?

I’m always impressed when I meet interesting people. I think people who turn into your friends are the most memorable experience.

Travel is about people and about real connections

If you could book a ticket tomorrow, where would you go?

Somewhere where I could kite surf. Dakhla (Morocco) or Cabarete (Dominican Republic). Though Ljubljana, where I’m from, is a perfect place to be in May. It is getting warmer and warmer, streets are filled with smiling people and there are so many things to do!

Finally, why do you travel?

If you travel and really see the world you become open-minded, flexible, happier, eager to get to know people and new things. You are always looking and scouting for new things to see and taste.

I travel because from every travel I come home richer, more positive, and filled with new ideas.

 Travel Start-Up is a monthly series that profiles unique online travel start-ups in the Travel Massive community around the world. Be sure to connect with Blaz and TravelStarter on Travel Massive.