Image credit<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n We\u2019ve turned our passion into a project and are now working on becoming the one-stop destination for independent travel agents and activity providers world-wide looking to share and book travel experiences and activity bookings.<\/p>\n But we must admit \u2026 it can be easy to lose focus when we\u2019re surrounded by the frenzy and hype that so often defines the world of startups. Here\u2019s what we’ve learned so far.<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019re going to spend 15 hours a day pouring your heart and soul into a passionate and ambitious project, you\u2019ll want to make sure you\u2019re surrounded by people you enjoy, trust, and admire.<\/p>\n My co-founder Ramin and I met over a decade ago while completing our post-graduate degrees in engineering. We instantly clicked. Communication was easy, our skill sets and specializations were complementary \u2013 we knew we\u2019d work together one day.<\/p>\n So as soon as the idea for Seamless Planet started bubbling up in my mind, I called Ramin. He got it. He saw what I saw, was confident we could pull it off, and quickly jumped on board.<\/p>\n Image credit<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n If we were going to claim that we were all about life-changing experiences, we were about to put our money where our mouths were.<\/strong><\/p>\n We\u2019ve since tried to build our team based on that same synergy, that same drive.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve focused on offering a challenging and rewarding environment for all kinds of people, which has led to us having an eclectic team of people bringing their own fascinating set of skills and interests to the table.<\/p>\n Working both with and for people you trust forces you to work hard every day. It motivates you to pull your weight and to stay honest, to keep your ego in check. Those mechanisms are essential to a thriving startup, especially when the time comes for nitty-gritty team work.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve taken the same approach to forming professional relationships and selecting our investors, who at every stage of our company\u2019s growth will play an essential role in shaping and shifting our product. As mentors and guides, our investors need to understand our vision and feel as confident about it as we do. After all, they\u2019re now part of the team.<\/p>\n We found that in AOL co-founder Steve Case, who chose to invest<\/a> last month after hearing our pitch at Google for Entrepreneurs Demo Day.<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n Image credit<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n He showed us a passion, curiosity and drive that matched our own philosophy and approach \u2013 another perfect piece of the jigsaw puzzle.<\/p>\n So remember, as a startup founder, you get to decide who you\u2019ll be working with and held accountable to. Make sure you chose people with the experience, expertise and shared ambition that you\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll be going through thick and thin with these people; pick them wisely.<\/p>\n There\u2019s little to no point in spending months or years building something that no one needs. But in order to identify that need, you first have to listen.<\/p>\n When we started building Seamless Planet\u2019s powerful API, it was really important for us to have a deep understanding of the travel industry and the challenges that were being faced by independent travel agents and activity providers worldwide. They were the people who were one day going to use our distribution system, so they were our priority.<\/p>\n Once we started listening, the opportunities were endless.<\/strong><\/p>\n As it turns out, current travel inventory is not only disparate and difficult to navigate, it\u2019s also much more accessible to massive corporations with the financial resources to independently pool together and analyze huge amounts of data through incredibly expensive but often limiting in-house platforms and algorithms.<\/p>\n The playing field is in no way level.<\/p>\n Our audience told us that there was a desire for smaller, independent players to have increased access to that same inventory and more.<\/p>\n Independent travel agents and activity providers were struggling with finding unique experiences that they could match to their customers\u2019 personal needs and preferences in order to maintain their competitive edge.<\/p>\n So we found a way to creatively and intelligently qualify and quantify travel inventory pulled from a wide array of online marketplaces, including meta-search results, daily deals, and small tour operators. We wanted to make travel experiences as easy to find and purchase online as physical goods.<\/p>\n Travel agents also told us they often dealt with over- or under-booking of experiences and activities. The platforms they were using simply didn\u2019t have the technology and data to provide up-to-date and relevant information about the activities stored in their databases.<\/p>\n Our solution was to build an advanced API that could intelligently and intuitively find and categorize travel inventory while updating its availability in real time.<\/p>\n Image credit<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n But we didn\u2019t stop there, we wanted to go above and beyond their expectations. We recognized that they also needed smarter algorithms to detect patterns and preferences in order to offer tailored recommendations and ideas. So we started building one of the most comprehensive and innovative natural language processing and machine learning algorithms on the market.<\/p>\n From the very beginning, we focused our efforts and energy on features that people truly needed. Along with our great team, that drive allowed us to avoid the all-too-common trappings of spreading yourself too thin and trying to be everything to everyone.<\/p>\n Image credit<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n But most importantly \u2013 and this may be the most difficult rule yet \u2013 it\u2019s incredibly important to listen to criticism and advice.<\/p>\n There, we spent our days alongside investors and mentors who were quick to put us on the spot and question our assumptions. They identified our weaknesses, asked tough questions and challenged us to see bigger than we ever had before.<\/p>\n Had we chosen to dig in our heels and let our egos take over, we wouldn\u2019t be here today.<\/p>\n Instead,\u00a0carefully absorbing and considering their feedback allowed us to build a stronger and more robust platform that could hold its own in the face of criticism and scrutiny.<\/p>\n And once those improvements were made, we turned our attention once again to the most important bunch of them all \u2013 our customers. We asked for their honest feedback, for their ideas, and hesitations. And we listened again.<\/p>\n We don\u2019t think a company should ever stop listening, no matter how successful it becomes.<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Seamless](\"http:\/\/d1vqbpto5tbbz0.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/30220000\/Screen-Shot-2015-04-30-at-1.33.45-PM.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nPeople<\/h2>\n
Finding a\u00a0Co-Founder<\/h3>\n
![\"Seamless](\"http:\/\/d1vqbpto5tbbz0.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/30220000\/Screen-Shot-2015-04-30-at-11.48.46-AM.png\")
<\/p>\nBuilding a Team<\/h3>\n
Choosing Investors<\/h3>\n
![\"Steve](\"http:\/\/d1vqbpto5tbbz0.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/30220000\/Screen-Shot-2015-04-30-at-11.49.14-AM.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nListening<\/h2>\n
Understanding the Current Landscape<\/h3>\n
Creating Value by Leveling the Playing Field<\/h3>\n
![\"Diagram](\"http:\/\/d1vqbpto5tbbz0.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/30220000\/Screen-Shot-2015-04-30-at-1.45.38-PM.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nFocusing on the Features that Users Truly Need<\/h3>\n
![\"Diagram](\"http:\/\/d1vqbpto5tbbz0.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/30220000\/Screen-Shot-2015-04-30-at-1.45.47-PM.png\")
<\/p>\nBeing Open\u00a0to Criticism<\/h3>\n
![\"Seamless](\"http:\/\/d1vqbpto5tbbz0.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/30220000\/Screen-Shot-2015-04-30-at-11.20.08-AM.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Demo](\"http:\/\/d1vqbpto5tbbz0.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/30220000\/Screen-Shot-2015-04-30-at-11.54.25-AM.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n