How I Got Here, episode 13 - Oliver Dlouhy of Kiwi.com

Oliver Dlouhy, CEO and co-founder

How I Got Here is a weekly podcast from PhocusWire and Mozio, getting the inside stories behind innovation and startups in travel and transportation.

Czech Republic-based Kiwi.com is both a consumer-facing and technology business. Its CEO Oliver Dlouhy joins hosts, David Litwak of Mozio and PhocusWire's Kevin May.

 

Once known as Skypicker, Kiwi.com has come a long way since its founder and CEO Oliver Dlouhy discovered how hard it was get across Europe using only low-cost carriers.

With a classic personal frustration for inspiration, Dlouhy created the business and has barely had a chance to breathe ever since.

Czech Republic-headquartered Kiwi.com now has over 1,000 employees and is a fully-fledged online travel agency that allows consumers to create a single booking on flights that are not officially "interlined" as airline partners.

As with most startups, growth has not been an easy ride and some carriers have still not embraced what the company is trying to do.

From formation and growth to acquisitions and a share sale, Dlouhy's story is one of optimism and frustration (he calls out one particular European low-cost carrier for its lack of enthusiasm), but it is a business on the rise and an incredibly ambitious one.

Dlouhy joins us for the latest episode of 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 our editor in chief, Kevin May, and Mozio co-founder and CEO David Litwak.

A full transcript and additional analysis in 5+ languages is available on Mozio.com/move.

You can also tune in via this version from PhocusWire's YouTube channel: