Travel Is Your Business

043 – Greg Buzulencia of ViaHero – Experiencing Travel with the Local Hero

Listen Later

Connecting travelers with local trip planners for custom itineraries to Iceland, Cuba, and Japan…

Greg Buzulencia, Co-Founder/CEO of ViaHero (a marketplace for travelers to hire locals to plan their personalized trip), joins John Matson, Bess Chapman of JetBlue Technology Ventures, and Pavan Bahl (President, MouthMedia Network) in the MouthMedia Network studios powered by Sennheiser.

In this episode:

  • Bess Chapman [Episode 003] of JetBlue Technology Ventures (a venture capital spinoff of JetBlue Airways, keeping a pulse on tech innovation and driving deal flow through New York) joins the podcast as a host
  • ViaHero works with locals telling people what they should be doing on a trip
  • How, being a marketplace, ratings and reviews keeps people in check, whereas travel agents are beholden to commissions
  • Cuba, Japan, and Colombia as countries in which Via Hero has presence
  • Average user wants local knowledge, people who have tours or Travel Agent plan, they are there for service but want to be independent
  • Algorithm matches with people who have same Interest and are in that area
  • SEO and user acquisition in various geographies
  • Changing needs and expectations of travelers, but there is still a feeling of needing info to help figure it all out
  • Hanging out with hosts, immersing in local culture, but it is a digital relationship with a “hero”
  • Offline maps with local recommendations and locations
  • Consistent trends in data being collected, database of their recommendations to more easily crate the guide books
  • The economics of the relationships with the  local “heroes”
  • A cross-country trip as a child that made an impression on travel, and the passion of never paying for water

    • See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store
    Travel Is Your BusinessBy MouthMedia Network
    • 4.6
    • 4.6
    • 4.6
    • 4.6
    • 4.6

    4.6

    19 ratings

    More shows like Travel Is Your Business

    View all
    American Fashion Podcast — exploring innovation and sustainability across the industry by MouthMedia Network

    American Fashion Podcast — exploring innovation and sustainability across the industry

    93 Listeners

    Fashion Is Your Business - a retail technology podcast by MouthMedia Network

    Fashion Is Your Business - a retail technology podcast

    93 Listeners

    Beauty Is Your Business - beautytech and beauty innovation by MouthMedia Network

    Beauty Is Your Business - beautytech and beauty innovation

    39 Listeners

    Content Is Your Business by MouthMedia Network

    Content Is Your Business

    8 Listeners

    Retail Is Your Business - retailtech and retail innovation by MouthMedia Network

    Retail Is Your Business - retailtech and retail innovation

    6 Listeners

    The FEKKAI Life - with Frederic Fekkai by MouthMedia Network

    The FEKKAI Life - with Frederic Fekkai

    7 Listeners

    It's A Matter Of... by BeautyMatter

    It's A Matter Of...

    16 Listeners

    Then What? by MouthMedia Network

    Then What?

    8 Listeners

    FUSION Fast Forward by MouthMedia Network

    FUSION Fast Forward

    0 Listeners

    Living in a Materiae World by David Pirrotta Brand Group Inc

    Living in a Materiae World

    11 Listeners