Meet the Team
Why are you participating in the Popup HQ Experience?
I believe that the best creativity and innovation is born out of constraint and a change in perspective. Building a company in Silicon Valley gives us many resources and advantages that we wouldn’t ever find anywhere else in the world. On the other side of that coin, it can also blind us to the needs of the mainstream and the ways others live and interact with our product. We are committed to building a global company that addresses the needs of all travelers and insiders at-large and I believe there’s no better way to do that than to go where they are, co-create with them, and change our perspectives so we can come home with a renewed clarity and so we can leave something lasting behind in all the places we visit.
Have you done anything like this before?
Never. Taking the team and moving our operations halfway around the world is not something I can say I’ve ever done before. It’s pretty revolutionary.
What are you most excited about?
I’m excited at the speed we will be able to move. Already just preparing for this has made us much more focused and faster than we’ve ever been as a team. I think this will only accelerate once we start setting up our Pop-Up headquarters in new locations. We have limited time, so the constraint forces us to make the use of every single moment.
What do you fear most about the experience?
Everything about it. But that’s exactly why I think it’s valuable.
What was the last trip you took out of the country?
I was in Paris and Barcelona in July hosting mini community events with our Insiders and guides. All I could think the whole time was “man, the whole team should really be here.” It’s invaluable.
How is this experience different from other trips you’ve taken?
Usually my trips are a bit unfocused and lacking in concrete purpose and mission. This one is the opposite. I’m excited.
Have you been to Paris before?
Yes. I’ve been there many times and I lived there for a summer during college.
What are you hoping to gain on a personal level from this experience?
I’m excited to be a participant in these new cities, not just an observer. There’s nothing like an immersive experience to help you understand yourself and your conditions better. I am always trying to become more self-aware and I look forward to think experience benefiting that.
Carry-on or check-in? What did you pack?
Carry-on all the way! I always pack in threes regardless of how long I’m away for: Running shoes, heels, boots. Three dresses, three shirts, three pantaloons. I brought my Bose noise-canceling headphones for the plane (and our co-working space) and raw, green snacks my friend Lisa gave me for the flight. I also brought five books to read, though I realize I’ll be lucky if I make it through one.
How will you know if the experience was a success?
Growth: our user base, the connections we create, our revenue, and us as individuals and as a team.
Nathalie Miller
Operations • Interests: Family, street food, supporting Oakland sports teams/not knowing the names of a single player
Why are you participating in the Popup HQ Experience?
First and foremost, I believe we’ll be able to connect directly with our users, learn from them, and improve our product based on their insight. This is an extraordinary experiment! We are actually developing our product by using it ourselves. Plus we can create buzz—because how often is a pop up headquarters possible? Actually, has anyone even ever used that term before? It’s really an amazing and unique opportunity, one that is only available to a small company like ours that is flexible and nimble enough to pull it off. We’re experimenting to see if strategies that are outside the box can create a platform that is similar.
Also I love our team and want to grow and become closer.
Also I love adventures.
Have you done anything like this before?
I’ve been to Europe before, but I’ve never done a collaborative project of this nature.
What are you most excited about?
I’m excited about the turn around. We are going to go, learn, and immediately apply what we learn from our users to improve our business. It’s incredible that we can learn and implement so quickly—and as Vayable grows, it will be less likely that we’ll ever be able to do something like this again.
What do you fear most about the experience?
Hm. I don’t know. I actually don’t jump into things like this with fear. Maybe that’s naive, but that’s the truth.
What was the last trip you took out of the country?
I went on a three-week trip to Vietnam, where my mom is from, but then accidentally stayed for three months. That was because I fell madly in love with a wonderful and charming guy. We went on motorbike trips in the mountains and beaches. And then, luckily, he moved back to California with me. That was a good trip. Maybe my best one ever.
How is this experience different from other trips you’ve taken?
Usually I don’t go on trips with a common goal that I share with everyone in the group. Sometimes I want to explore ruins and everyone else wants to go to museums. Or I want to eat street food and everyone else wants sushi.
But on this trip we are a bunch of friends thrown together to work on a common project. It’s exciting! I’m a sucker for collaboration. Is it from playing team sports? Or from back in grade school when I loved math groups? I don’t know. It just feels better when you accomplish something together and can revel in it with others.
Have you been to Paris before?
Yes.
What are you hoping to gain on a personal level from this experience?
I’m excited to have a more intimate knowledge of Paris. It’s going to be amazing to do that through meeting all the Insiders that we’ve been working with for so long. Working together is always more meaningful and enjoyable if it’s built on a friendship.
Carry-on or check-in? What did you pack?
Carry on. I just got an amazing roller bag from Muji and all these adorable Japanese bottles for my shampoo and conditioner. I’m trying to pack lightly, but there are some basics that are definitely making it in the bag: three types of shoes (running, comfortable walking, and Isabelle Marant boots) and a wine opener.
How will you know if the experience was a success?
If our product is more popular, if our users are happier, and if our team is closer knit. Oh, and if I have gained five pounds from eating cheese and brioche. Duh.
Gabriel Handford
Engineer • Interests: Diet Coke, bro-cations in Palm Springs, Diet Coke, online shopping
Why are you participating in the Popup HQ Experience?
To experience traveling again. I have felt detached from the problem we spend all our waking hours trying to solve each day and using our own product is the best way to reconnect with that.
Have you done anything like this before?
Nope, usually don’t touch much programming when I travel. My tech life and my travel life have always been separate until now.
What are you most excited about?
Traveling again and getting that feeling that the world is a big place and being able to apply our learnings directly, in real time, to the product and business. When do you actually get to do that?! Whoa, this is cool.
What do you fear most about the experience?
No fears.
What was the last trip you took out of the country?
Seoul, Korea. I was visiting a friend who showed me Seoul from a local’s point of view and made me remember how great a travel experience can be when you have someone to help show you around.
How is this experience different from other trips you’ve taken?
I’m not sure yet. We’ll see!
Have you been to Paris before?
Nope, excited!
What are you hoping to gain on a personal level from this experience?
Meet people, make new friends, and learn something unexpected.
Carry-on or check-in? What did you pack?
Carry-on. My jam box and a toothbrush. I am probably forgetting something.
How will you know if the experience was a success?
If we learned more about travel and what people really want and can make our product better.
Michelle Suwannukul
Community Manager • Interests: Bargain shopping, dogs and dinosaurs, whiskey
Why are you participating in the Popup HQ Experience?
Cause the world needs to know about what’s going on at Vayable. I feel the way I imagine Paul or Peter felt.
What are you most excited about?
Dinosaurs. Generally. But most excited about meeting our users and getting closer to our Insiders!
Have you done anything like this before?
You mean revolutionize the way people travel? No, that doesn’t happen very often.
What do you fear most about the experience?
I was worried about how I would figure out Paris in my free time but once I used our product I found a Paris Insider who offer me a place to sleep! My world changed.
What was the last trip you took out of the country?
Patagonia. Holler!
How is this experience different from other trips you’ve taken?
Normally I buy guide books or I spend days online researching forums or I ask someone whose uncle speaks French where to go. But now Vayable just connects me to locals who know their home city the way I know mine. It feels real.
Have you been to Paris before?
I’m really excited to try out our product and live off if first hand in a place where I don’t speak the language. Or do I? Je voudrais un saucisson et un verre de vin blanc.
Carry-on or check-in? What did you pack?
It’s already a success being here and working together on a project we feel passionate about.
Seth Warrick
Design Lead • Interests: EM, road trips, art, orange juice
Why are you participating in the Popup HQ Experience?
I am really looking forward to meeting with our users and trying out this product that we’ve put so much love and sweat into. I could never pass up an opportunity to learn directly from our users—or the chance to bounce around Europe.
Have you done anything like this before?
I guess not. I’ve never actually been to Europe before, and I’ve never worked on a project that is so deeply about community and travel.
What are you most excited about?
As a designer I’m very visual so I’m excited to be immersed in the various cityscapes and old world aesthetics. I also really look forward to meeting our Insiders and travelers because we’re building a product around them.
What do you fear most about the experience?
I’m afraid that time will go by so quickly that I won’t be able to soak in as much as I want.
What was the last trip you took out of the country?
I went to the land down under. Australia was amazing! I pet a kangaroo.
How is this experience different from other trips you’ve taken?
It’s going to be interesting and a new experience to take a trip with every member of our company. I’ve never traveled like that before.
Have you been to Paris before?
No. I’ve never even been to Europe before.
What are you hoping to gain on a personal level from this experience?
I’m hoping that through meeting new people and hearing their stories I’ll be able to better visualize what travel means today. I want to bring that to the design of our platform.
Carry-on or check-in? What did you pack?
Carry-on. I don’t want to check in my cameras and hard drives! Too much precious and delicate stuff.
Eskil Olsen
Engineer • Interests: The sea, mixology, cats (as long as they don’t outnumber humans), good coffee.
Why are you participating in the Popup HQ Experience?
To assist the ops team in furthering Vayable’s connection with local insiders. And to have a fun time while we’re at it.
Have you done anything like this before?
Kinda… while at DBC we did 10 days stints in Dublin and Leiden.
What are you most excited about?
The opportunity to learn and grow faster than we could at home.
What do you fear most about the experience?
I might say that the traveling could become a distraction from our operations—but I believe in our team so much I doubt that would ever be possible. We’re fierce.
What was the last trip you took out of the country?
Mexico to visit a friend and see her hotel in Puerto Vallarta.
How is this experience different from other trips you’ve taken?
Every trip is different.
Have you been to Paris before?
Yes, twice.
What are you hoping to gain on a personal level from this experience?
See community building in action.
Carry-on or check-in? What did you pack?
Might just be carry-on, but I like checking in things to keep the cabin neat.
How will you know if the experience was a success?
Getting a bushel of kick-ass insiders.
