3 April 2024
Praktijkverhalen
0 reacties
114x viewed
He first learned about Brightlands when he won the Brightlands Pinkpop Challenge in 2019, a hackathon centering on the question: what will Pinkpop look like 50 years from now? This year, he founded his own company at the campus. Nick Pisters is the founder of AQI Travel, a young and innovative travel-tech startup. We spoke with him about the international startup which is dedicated to innovations in the travel industry and modifying the industry to achieve "web 3.0".
AQI Travel wants to become the web 3.0 online travel agency, at least that's the idea. For now, Pisters and his team are focusing on a web 2.5 variant. They utilize the integration of various applications into a single ecosystem and decentralized data (blockchain), yet remain within the infrastructure of the current web 2.0.
Pisters realizes that this all still sounds pretty complicated: blockchain, Web 3.0, a travel ecosystem. "For many people, this isn't something they think about anyway." However, it does offer many advantages for consumers. You will no longer have to deal with different apps or websites since they will all be seamlessly integrated into the AQI Travel ecosystem. "With our ecosystem, you will only have to log in once. From there, you'll end up in an app where you can go from the dream stage to sharing your journey as a consumer."
The new booking.com
They may only be 20 and 21, but Pisters and the other founders of AQI travel hope to be the ultimate online travel agency for the new generation five years from now. What happens then? "Hopefully, we will be able to get the slightly older generations on board too, once they see how it works for their children. The dream, of course, is to eventually be number one, with the ability to replace websites like booking.com, but we do have to stay realistic." Most companies currently operating in web 3.0, such as many companies active in the crypto sector, for example, are characterized by a black mystery interface, Pisters says. "This is why AQI Travel places an explicit emphasis on user-friendliness. We want consumers to have easier and more direct access to travel and tourism partner offerings."
A place for innovation and talent development
.It might come as somewhat of a surprise to some, a travel agency at Brightlands. Pisters confirms this. "We are focusing more on consumers and aren't as concerned yet with sustainability or social issues at this point." The young international team behind AQI Travel hopes above all to find opportunities at Brightlands for innovation and knowledge sharing. The technical issues they are trying to solve are new, and a lot still unknown about them.
"Besides, Brightlands is located centrally in Europe which is convenient since we are a company with an international character." And then there's the connection with Maastricht University. "We want to give talented students the opportunity, much like myself and the co-founders of AQI Travel, to further develop and acquire work experience."
A travel ecosystem without intermediaries
Working from their base in Limburg, they hope to launch their travel ecosystem after the summer. They are already looking for cooperation with Limburg tourism in a limited setting: what do they need here and how can AQI Travel facilitate this? They want to give local and other partners the opportunity to present their range to consumers in an accessible and innovative way. Pisters explains. "We aren't a middleman; we just make sure the technology and apps work well. This is how we facilitate direct contact between entrepreneurs and customers. It's also why we don't have to charge a commission, leaving more money for other things, such as better service or working conditions for staff." This direct exchange of data takes place through blockchain technology: data is stored in a decentralized manner on various servers. This makes a large central storage location (server) no longer necessary. Pisters: "As an intermediary, a company like booking.com has access to all of your data, but AQI Travel doesn't."
.