Founding a startup calls for innovation and grit — two qualities with which founders Jessie Fischer, founder and CEO of GuestOS, and Arielle Warren, CEO of PlacesToGo, are familiar.
Fischer and Warren are the 2024 recipients of the Philip C. Wolf Memorial Scholarship. Through the scholarship, the two attended The Phocuswright Conference 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona, which included a three night stay and participation in a mentorship program of each founder’s choice.
During the conference, Fischer and Warren stopped by the PhocusWire Studio to discuss their journeys as travel startup founders.
They shared a bit about the inspiration for each of their companies.
Fischer, whose GuestOS is an artificial intelligence-based concierge platform for hotels, said the spark for her company came from her childhood.
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“I grew up in the industry, so when I noticed I was still answering the same questions that I answered when I was, like, 12 years old, I thought, we can automate this now and give humans more meaningful responsibilities,” Fischer said.
Warren took inspiration from her own life, too.
“I'm building PlacesToGo, which is a mobile app that helps Gen Z friends plan, book and pay for group travel,” Warren said. “It also came from a personal experience of booking over 20 trips for my friends, whether celebrating graduations or bachelorette parties. There just had to be a way to streamline that process.”
During a wide-ranging interview, the two also delved into the state of funding for female founders, challenges they face as startup founders, their goals for 2025 and more.
Watch the full interview with PhocusWire senior reporter Morgan Hines below:
The Phocuswright Conference 2024 Executive Interview: Philip Wolf Memorial Scholarship recipients