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50. Paul Melhus of ToursByLocals

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Manage episode 277337026 series 2535902
Content provided by Kevin May / David Litwak. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Kevin May / David Litwak or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://ppacc.player.fm/legal.

In one respect, ToursByLocals is a classic startup story.

It was the brainchild of CEO Paul Melhus and chief technology officer Dave Vincent, with them having observed how the tour guide scene was handled during a trip to China in the mid-2000s.

They launched the business - a platform to find and reserve tour guides in numerous countries around the world - in 2008.

But there the typical linear nature of a startup tale ends.

ToursByLocals, based in Vancouver, Canada, expanded quickly for the next ten years but never took a dollar in funding.

This period of bootstrapping ended in January 2020, when it signed a Series A investment deal for $33 million.

Melhus 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.

  continue reading

101 episodes

Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 277337026 series 2535902
Content provided by Kevin May / David Litwak. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Kevin May / David Litwak or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://ppacc.player.fm/legal.

In one respect, ToursByLocals is a classic startup story.

It was the brainchild of CEO Paul Melhus and chief technology officer Dave Vincent, with them having observed how the tour guide scene was handled during a trip to China in the mid-2000s.

They launched the business - a platform to find and reserve tour guides in numerous countries around the world - in 2008.

But there the typical linear nature of a startup tale ends.

ToursByLocals, based in Vancouver, Canada, expanded quickly for the next ten years but never took a dollar in funding.

This period of bootstrapping ended in January 2020, when it signed a Series A investment deal for $33 million.

Melhus 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.

  continue reading

101 episodes

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