(David Rebollo in the left & Emilio Gómez in the right). 

Industrial Engineer and Master in Business Entrepreneurship, David has worked as financial consultant and in business development for big corporations. But it was when he joined a group of entrepreneurs in another travel startup where he got the entrepreneur seed planted deep into his mind and where he met Emilio, co-founder of Kolaboo. Some years after that experience and after a solo round the world trip that took him through 12 countries in 4 continents, David joined Emilio to create Kolaboo and help travellers with the most important part of their trips: everything that they do at their destination. We talk with David Rebollo about his startup and how he feels about being an entrepeneur.

1. What does South Summit mean for you? What do you expect from this event?

As one of the most important startup events, South Summit is the place to be. It is visibility, networking, learning and one of the most inspirational gatherings in the ecosystem. In South Summit you can meet investors, media and partners for your startup all in one place. That's the magic of the event.

2. Why did you decide to participate in the competition?

Because becoming a South Summit finalist is a great recognition which helps to get exposure and to meet investors. We really want the ecosystem to learn what we do and we want to learn what others in the ecosystem are doing. 

 

3. Why did you decide to start your business and how did you come up with the idea?

Tours and activities is the fastest growing online travel segment, but it is still very dispersed and unstructured. Travellers are used to know if they are buying a good deal when booking a flight or a hotel, but many still had the opinion that they were some times paying too much for tours that were not worth it. It happened to me in the Vatican, where I took a tour to get to know the Vatican Museums that did not at all cover my expectations. I felt at the end as if I had definitely paid too much for what we got in that tour.

With Kolaboo our aim is that this doesn't happen any more. We want to bring transparency to the tours and activities market, we want travellers to know if they are buying the best deal for them.

 

4. Why your company is useful for the user?

Because we help them something that they are used to do when booking a flight or accommodation: comparing prices. Doing it for tours and activities is tough, it takes time and it is necessary to navigate through dozens of websites. At Kolaboo we help them doing it. We connect to the main tours and activities websites, we structure their information and we compare it, so we help users find the best option at the best price for the most important part of their trip: the things that they are going to do at their destination.

 

5. How did you feel when you knew you were finalist?

It was great! We knew that the finalist were going to be announced that day and when we saw the notification email it was really exciting as we knew we would take an active part at one of the most important startup events in Europe.

 

6. What do you think it will happen in the future of startups?

Startups are becoming an important drive of innovation in many fields and it is only getting more and more important as new technologies make it easier to start new global businesses with smaller resources. 

 

7. What advice would you give to those who want to participate in South Summit?

Be confident with what you are doing but be also open minded to learn from others and from the advices you get. Don't lose focus and be in touch with the ecosystem and with what others are doing.

 

8. What does being an entrepreneur mean for you?

It means many things. It means learning new things everyday, it means getting surrounded by amazing people, it means responsibility, dynamism, risk and analysis. It means thinking and acting, making things happen. And it also means enjoying the good moments and learning from the bad ones. It is mostly a way of life.

 

9. What´s your dream in life?

Making a positive impact in those who are around me. And doing a round the world trip without taking any plane :)