Discover Local Food with VoulezVousDiner

Welcome to Matthieu Heslouin’s solution to helping travellers discover real local life and culture through people and food. Matthieu is the CEO of VoulezVousDiner and part of our Travel Massive Paris community.

What inspired you to create this startup? 

I have traveled a lot. My most memorable experiences are when I spend time with locals. It is wonderful to be able to share some pieces of their real life. I believe that eating food is part of ones culture and having lunch is probably the easiest moment to share with strangers. On VoulezVousDiner you can host or book a dinner in 50 countries across the world.

How did you build your startup?

I built my first travel start up Wipolo in 2008. We then sold it to Accorhotels and I then started VoulezVousDiner.

How is your startup disrupting the travel scene today? 

We disrupt the travel scene as we bet on the human side and experience of travel. A lot of start ups are investing on  trip price advantages, distribution, technology and convenient services like sharing homes or cars.

We invest in people and travel experiences. We understand that there is a craving need for real contacts and real life experiences. We are hoping to bring back more human interaction in tourism through the use of technology.

How did you get your startup off the ground and gaining traction?

Word of mouth is key for us. People test the service while traveling and then go back to their country and suggest friends or family to launch their own dinner in their home. We also invest quite a bit to build our VoulezVousDiner community and to gain ambassadors all over the world.

Do you have any tips for new entrepreneurs who want to create a successful startup?

Be passionate.

Believe in your idea.

Work hard.

How do you think we can be better travellers?

We need to stop thinking that travel is all about visiting monuments, admiring landcapes and eating in restaurants. We need to get in touch with the local people.

Why do you travel?

To open my mind and my children’s minds, to discover cultures and human history ,to have fun and become more educated.

As a startup, what benefits have you seen from being a part of Travel Massive meet ups?

Networking is key in our business. We have launched in 50 countries and would like to reach 200 by meeting travel passionate fellows through Travel Massive meet ups!

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Travel Start-Up is a monthly series that profiles unique online travel start-ups in the Travel Massive community around the world. Connect with Matthieu on iTunes, Facebook, Twitter and Travel Massive.