Tell us about Hubby
We think travel has the potential to change the world, so at Hubby, we’re on a mission to unlock serious value for travel providers and tour operators by creating innovative, digital solutions that improve the travel experience. We want a world that’s free from connectivity barriers.
Our first ‘baby’ is Hubby eSIM, which is specifically designed for integration with travel providers and tour operators and delivers huge value for them and their customers. It has an intuitive design and hassle-free installation that saves them time and money and for travellers, it’s an easy, convenient solution to the minefield – and expense – that is data roaming abroad.
Key to our success is that we can be easily and quickly integrated into existing travel provider operating systems, requiring very minimal resource at their end. On top, we offer 24/7 support, a low-risk pricing model and can provide real-time insights into their travellers’ connectivity habits, which is gold dust for a tour operator.
How did you come up with the idea for the company?
It may sound like a cliche, but we are a company for travellers, by travellers. My co-founder, Thijs, was travelling from the Netherlands to South Africa and thought it would be easy to safely and securely connect to the internet without sky high costs. He was wrong! After hours traipsing around Cape Town looking for a portable wifi router, he decided to find a better solution.
People underestimate how many people book package travel with a tour operator, and these travellers face the same issues as backpackers or those who book more independently through the likes of a booking.com.
We are uniquely positioned to deliver digital connection at scale because we keep tour operators’ specific needs in mind – that’s what makes us distinct from others who try to tap into the travel sector. We work super closely and collaboratively with our partners to offer a bespoke service and find those pockets of added value that are truly unique to their business and their customers.
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How has the company evolved over the last couple of years?
We started with physical wifi routers in Turkey before moving to eSIM about 18 months ago. Since then, we have been growing at pace, co-developing our eSIM solution with tour operators and travel agents in the Netherlands and Belgium such as Riksja and Sawadee.
After finding product-market fit, we’re scaling across Europe, with partnerships including Connections, Pura Aventura and Schmetterling. We entered the UK market with a partnership with leading online travel agent, On the Beach, this summer.
What can we hope to see from Hubby in the future?
The future is bright! Not only are we attracting top-talent, we’re also seeing a shift across the whole travel industry, from the smallest agents to the largest tour operators, to explore new and disruptive technologies, and we’re very confident in our ability to be the tech disruptor that can create the most value for our travel partners.
Finally, our eSIM is really only the beginning — we are working hard to create other innovative, digital connectivity solutions that enhance the travel experience. Watch this space!
