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North America, Travel Startups

Build Your Work Experience Abroad With BrainGain

Matthew Williams helps travellers work abroad in career relevant positions and is an all-round work abroad and travel enthusiast over at BrainGain

Matthew is a founding member and the head of marketing at BrainGain. He is also a part of our New York City Travel Massive chapter. We interviewed Matthew to understand the ins and outs of running a startup brand in the travel industry.

Who is your startup for?

For those who are unfulfilled in their current jobs, who want international career relevant experience, or want an awesome excuse to live abroad.

Matt with his class in Korea

What inspired you to create this startup?

After Teaching English in South Korea, we were unable to find international jobs that were relevant to what we wanted to do with our careers and in countries where we were able to work due to visa restrictions. On the other side, startups in emerging economies have talent gaps in their own country and are desperate to bring on diverse and educated professionals.

How did you build your startup?

From being involved in travel communities to talking to extended friends and family, we know there’s a massive demand for working abroad… and another sustainable option for living and working abroad. From the companies’ perspective; demonstrating the attraction of having a diverse team and an employee with an intimate knowledge of foreign markets.

How is your startup disrupting the travel scene today?

We are one of the only startups that provides an end-to-end service – from viewing job listings, interviews, and visas, to airport pickup, housing, and general acclimation. Plus you get to live abroad, gain incredible experience in your career path, integrate into a new culture, and get paid at the same time.

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

Hard work and cold emails 😉 haha. Working with university career departments, using previous travel and personal networks, finding companies that were well funded and desperate for awesome talent, and connecting them (it sounds a lot more simple than it was)!

Travel Massive is about empowering change in travel. How is your startup changing the future of the industry or helping to make travel better?

There are so many articles and blog posts out there saying ‘quit your job to travel’. We prefer the motto of ‘quit your job to live’. Rather than spending months saving for an epic trip, why not move your career to a new country and culture. I dare you to be uninspired and unfulfilled working at a startup in Kuala Lumpur doing something you love!

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

Base it on something you love! Don’t sell the what, sell the why! When you love something, your enthusiasm for the lifestyle that your product or service brings to the user far outweighs using some vaguely relevant buzz words.

How do you think we can be better travellers?

Spend money at local vendors, not massive attractions. Travel to learn more about yourself and others, not for the passport stamps.

Some of the first members of the BrainGain Family


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


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