Polina Raygorodskaya formed Wanderu seven years ago with her co-founder Igor Bratnikov.

The idea for the business was to build a platform for travelers to book bus tickets in North America - a vision that has evolved over time to include rail.

Not content with building a network of partnerships in its domestic markets, Wanderu expanded to Europe in 2017.

The growth of the business has been achieved through fairly modest levels of funding (single million digit range) for today's venture-backed online travel startup community.

Raygorodskaya's experience as a female entrepreneur in the sector has been soured somewhat with disappointing reactions from the male-dominated world of VCs over the years.

But that hasn't diminished both her drive (the opposite, in fact) and achievements to-date.

These issues and many details about the formation and evolution of the company are discussed in this episode of the podcast.

HIGH is a weekly show produced by PhocusWire and Mozio, aimed at getting the inside stories behind startups and innovation in travel and transportation.

Other episodes: on PhocusWire and Mozio.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Personal experiences and hearing stories from family members and friends - countless travel startups have been created this way.

Freebird is one such brand that was formed from the frustrations of its founder, Ethan Bernstein, who saw how miserable it was for himself and his friends when a flight was canceled and how struggled to get rebooked.

The idea and eventual service came about in 2015 and the company has not looked back, having raised around $16 million over a number of investment rounds and secured a profile in the minds of business travelers and their travel management companies.

Bernstein's journey from idea through development, raising money and becoming an established brand is what makes Freebird an interesting story.

HIGH is a weekly show produced by PhocusWire and Mozio, aimed at getting the inside stories behind startups and innovation in travel and transportation.

Other episodes: on PhocusWire and Mozio.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Personal experiences and hearing stories from family members and friends - countless travel startups have been created this way.

Freebird is one such brand that was formed from the frustrations of its founder, Ethan Bernstein, who saw how miserable it was for himself and his friends when a flight was canceled and how struggled to get rebooked.

The idea and eventual service came about in 2015 and the company has not looked back, having raised around $16 million over a number of investment rounds and secured a profile in the minds of business travelers and their travel management companies.

Bernstein's journey from idea through development, raising money and becoming an established brand is what makes Freebird an interesting story.

HIGH is a weekly show produced by PhocusWire and Mozio, aimed at getting the inside stories behind startups and innovation in travel and transportation.

Other episodes: on PhocusWire and Mozio.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Personal experiences and hearing stories from family members and friends - countless travel startups have been created this way.

Freebird is one such brand that was formed from the frustrations of its founder, Ethan Bernstein, who saw how miserable it was for himself and his friends when a flight was canceled and how struggled to get rebooked.

The idea and eventual service came about in 2015 and the company has not looked back, having raised around $16 million over a number of investment rounds and secured a profile in the minds of business travelers and their travel management companies.

Bernstein's journey from idea through development, raising money and becoming an established brand is what makes Freebird an interesting story.

HIGH is a weekly show produced by PhocusWire and Mozio, aimed at getting the inside stories behind startups and innovation in travel and transportation.

Other episodes: on PhocusWire and Mozio.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Personal experiences and hearing stories from family members and friends - countless travel startups have been created this way.

Freebird is one such brand that was formed from the frustrations of its founder, Ethan Bernstein, who saw how miserable it was for himself and his friends when a flight was canceled and how struggled to get rebooked.

The idea and eventual service came about in 2015 and the company has not looked back, having raised around $16 million over a number of investment rounds and secured a profile in the minds of business travelers and their travel management companies.

Bernstein's journey from idea through development, raising money and becoming an established brand is what makes Freebird an interesting story.

HIGH is a weekly show produced by PhocusWire and Mozio, aimed at getting the inside stories behind startups and innovation in travel and transportation.

Other episodes: on PhocusWire and Mozio.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are few people that have been at the heart of two significant businesses during important moments in their evolution. 

One such instance for Philippe Chereque was during the creation and formative years of Amadeus. 

The airline-owned global distribution system was attempting to do for European carriers what their counterparts had done elsewhere. 

The Amadeus story since then is well documented but less is known about its early days as, in some respects, a startup. 

Thirty years on, Chereque is assisting at a legacy business - American Express GBT - that is undergoing huge change as it shifts from its role as a travel management company to service provider for travelers in a digital world. 

His experiences at both companies are well-informed and give a unique perspective on driving change in an evolving business through innovation and challenging the status quo as an emerging player.

Chereque is the latest guest for the How I Got Here podcast.

HIGH is a weekly show produced by PhocusWire and Mozio, aimed at getting the inside stories behind startups and innovation in travel and transportation.

Other episodes: on PhocusWire and Mozio.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are few people that have been at the heart of two significant businesses during important moments in their evolution. 

One such instance for Philippe Chereque was during the creation and formative years of Amadeus. 

The airline-owned global distribution system was attempting to do for European carriers what their counterparts had done elsewhere. 

The Amadeus story since then is well documented but less is known about its early days as, in some respects, a startup. 

Thirty years on, Chereque is assisting at a legacy business - American Express GBT - that is undergoing huge change as it shifts from its role as a travel management company to service provider for travelers in a digital world. 

His experiences at both companies are well-informed and give a unique perspective on driving change in an evolving business through innovation and challenging the status quo as an emerging player.

Chereque is the latest guest for the How I Got Here podcast.

HIGH is a weekly show produced by PhocusWire and Mozio, aimed at getting the inside stories behind startups and innovation in travel and transportation.

Other episodes: on PhocusWire and Mozio.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are few people that have been at the heart of two significant businesses during important moments in their evolution. 

One such instance for Philippe Chereque was during the creation and formative years of Amadeus. 

The airline-owned global distribution system was attempting to do for European carriers what their counterparts had done elsewhere. 

The Amadeus story since then is well documented but less is known about its early days as, in some respects, a startup. 

Thirty years on, Chereque is assisting at a legacy business - American Express GBT - that is undergoing huge change as it shifts from its role as a travel management company to service provider for travelers in a digital world. 

His experiences at both companies are well-informed and give a unique perspective on driving change in an evolving business through innovation and challenging the status quo as an emerging player.

Chereque is the latest guest for the How I Got Here podcast.

HIGH is a weekly show produced by PhocusWire and Mozio, aimed at getting the inside stories behind startups and innovation in travel and transportation.

Other episodes: on PhocusWire and Mozio.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.