59. Rolf Schromgens of Trivago

How I Got Here - Inside stories behind innovation and startups in travel

Rolf Schromgens was broke and scarred from the experience of a previous startup when he finally sat down with his co-founders and created Trivago.

The company, which is now one of the leading hotel metasearch sites in the market, was built on the learnings from those earlier ventures and a desire to grow on revenue rather than take large sums of capital from investors (it raised just $55 million before a $632 million backing from Expedia Group in 2013).

Schromgens admits that the initial proposition was sometimes confusing (metasearch or reviews?) but a dogged determination to only make decisions based on data and technical capability saw the company establish a strong presence in Europe.

Trivago later took a significant aim at the U.S. with its infamous "Trivago Guy" advertising campaign and eventually listed on the public markets in 2016.

Schromgens, who left as CEO in 2019, joins us as the latest guest on 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 PhocusWire's editor in chief, Kevin May, and Mozio co-founder and CEO David Litwak.

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