The Branx was invited by Niels, CEO and Co-Founder of JoinMyTripto join them at Web Summit, one of the biggest technology and startup events worldwide, which took place last weekend in Lisbon. With 2,296 startups, 1,081 investors and 71,033 attendees from 160 countries, Niels was proud to present his startup – we are also proud to form part of the amazing transformation that JoinMyTrip has been undergoing since we did their rebranding back in 2018. In this spontaneous interview at the conference, Niels tells us about our collaboration, the importance of branding and the success story of his brand.
Jesus: Hello, everyone. So here we are at Web Summit, I am Jesus from The Branx. Here I am with Niels. Niels is the CEO and Co-Founder of JoinMyTrip. To be honest, we're going to improvise this video because we were lucky, well, I am lucky that I got invited by him to support him while he was pitching at this event, at the Growth Summit. So, by the way Niels, how did that pitch go?
Niels: Pleasure having you. Yeah, I think the pitch went great. I really liked it. The whole venue is nice. You meet a lot of people, very interesting people. So far I really enjoy it.
Jesus: Very nice, so we're here at the … again, I forget the name, some executive lounge … So there are really interesting people around us. Everyone is in the startup mood. There is technology everywhere, there are investors, there are really nice ideas. It's a really nice atmosphere, and so we just wanted to do this video. So first of all, Niels, what is next? How is your journey with JoinMyTrip? What is it at the current stage? What is going to be next? I know a little bit, but if you could tell everyone, that would be good.
Niels: I mean we have been on this journey for more than five years now and obviously the last two years were not too easy. With Covid, we got hit very hard. Now it's going very, very well, obviously. But yeah, what's next? As of today, we just launched our TripLeader academy. So for our more than 150.000 users, I think it's a great add-on, especially for the TripLeaders. They're going to learn a lot, they're going to be educated about all the topics that are most important to them, and it's more than 35 educational videos, tools, FAQs, templates, and whatever you can dream of. So that's what we did in the last few weeks basically. What's next? Well, we're a growth stage startup, so we really focus on growing the business currently and really forming that global community of travelers that can basically go whenever they want, wherever they want, and have the right people with them.
Jesus: A little bit of background as well: So JoinMyTrip – you can check it out, it's joinmytrip.com – they are a marketplace for traveling. We think of BlaBlaCar, but in a much broader and more impactful way of traveling. So there are, as Niels mentioned, TripLeaders who create trips and upload all the details and the information of the trips. And other people, like-minded people, join their trips. And that's democratizing the travel industry, or at least what you're trying. It's very common to use this buzz word, but it really is a very inspiring idea. So in fact, it was the first project that we worked on in The Branx and it was crucial for the creation and the foundation of The Branx itself because we were four people working as self-employees, as freelancers for different projects. And then we had the opportunity. We met Niels and it was the first time that we got together – the current founding team of The Branx with Ines, Dani and Damian, myself. We put together the branding for Niels. That worked out. So we had fun and we launched the JoinMyTrip branding and it was something that we felt it worked for them, it worked for us, there was a feeling. And then it's when we actually decided to go ahead and create The Branx as a company. And that’s already… When was it? When was the rebranding? Because you were rebranding from Travelsation to JoinMyTrip.com, which is a much better domain, better naming, this is very important. When was that? And can you give us more insight into how you changed from one thing to another and how we got in touch, and so on?
Niels: I think it must have been 2018. Yeah, I think 2018, so it's quite a long time ago. It was amazing. We are still using that branding. Whatever you see on the platform, the gradients, the colors, and so on – you guys came up with that. Also the dynamic logo … I only learned then that there's something like that. So yeah, I still love it. Also the whole idea behind it of saying: these are the different routes for every traveler when the logo is spinning, and so on, and so on. That makes sense right from the beginning. So we got connected through a common friend. You were asking how it all started?
So we got connected and just hit it off, right? It was love at first sight, so working together with you guys was never a hassle or anything. You had very clear ideas, which is very good, very important – because to be honest, especially when you're a young startup, a lot of these things are not that clear to you. So you need a partner that has a clear understanding of certain things, how they work and especially also how they don't, right? And you need to push your customer or your partner in the right direction every now and then. It worked very well for us, we are still extremely thankful, otherwise we wouldn't be here today, I guess. It was a great experience and it is a great experience.
Jesus: That's really nice to hear from your voice because we feel the same way. As I mentioned, it was the starting of something that means something to us, but it's also important to mention the way Niels and the team back then were very willing to collaborate, being very involved in the process and listening to our ideas and not having something preconceived in their minds, and they were keeping the whole process open. And that's what makes a good branding, you have to keep the process open. What is your DNA? What is behind that? Of course, Niels wants to earn money, right? Sure, that's something you need to do as a startup and you need to get funds and investments. But what is behind that? So there is a story behind and we got that from them because there was a vision behind it. I remember our discussions (laughs). What is the vision and mission? What are your brand values? And I remember: We are open-minded, we are this and that … But that's important and you really need to have that. We all do stuff for reason, and that's branding. Branding is about telling what is behind it. Apart from the numbers, branding should help with the numbers, for sure, because you have to appeal to certain people, to your target audience, but it's also something else. It's about telling where you're coming from, and where you want to go. It's the lighthouse and for me and for the team it was very easy to work with them because they had a clear goal that made our work and our project much easier and seamless. So I just want to thank you for being the first client of The Branx and trusting us, because definitely you didn't have to. We didn't even exist, but you did, and we really appreciate that. I am speaking for myself and the rest of the team. I'm so grateful that I was able to come here with you and also with this cameraman (Vishnu, CPO of JMT), to enjoy this time in Portugal, so we might have some beers after this and enjoy the rest of the conference.
Niels: Some famous last words.
Thanks seriously, because I think we wouldn't be here today if it weren't for you guys. So it's always mutual, right? That's something that people forget. It's a partnership. Without the right branding, without the right ideas back then, most probably we wouldn't have gone to this point. I think people tend to forget about that part of who helped you, when and where, and how. And you did. Definitely a big part of our story, of what got us here today. So thanks a lot, seriously.
Jesus: Thank you, Niels, thank you.
We helped JoinMyTrip with their rebranding, Web Design, and UX/UI Design. By doing so, we created a clear brand identity that is reflected across all relevant touch points. Make sure to check out the full case study here.
