Where did you study? What did you study and in which campus?
I studied at the Orotava Campus, at the European University of the Canary Islands. I practically grew up in Italy and I am Peruvian. I decided to continue my studies at the Orotava Campus, in the Canary Islands, to pursue a degree in Tourism. I was there from 2020 to 2022. During the pandemic, I noticed a logistical problem because Amazon orders were not arriving in the Canary Islands. I wanted to buy some exercise bands and they didn't arrive. Thanks to this, I came up with the idea of creating a startup for my TFG.
I decided to make the project a reality. This is how Hilo was born, which is my startup where practically, at the moment, I am concentrating on the Italy-Peru and Peru-Italy route because I work in a travel agency specialized in flights to Peru. Thanks to the startup, we have seen the efficiency and speed of sending packages or suitcases with passengers because I have found passengers asking me for services about luggage that we had not yet implemented in the company.
Then, the idea came up to apply the services here, in Italy, and make this route because there was a lot of demand, and then apply it in the Canary Islands. It is a platform where I put in contact people who want to travel, and, suddenly, they do not want to carry any luggage and they are going to receive an economic compensation for it. We want to focus on sustainability, with collaborative logistics between passengers and people who want to send luggage. On this route, the packages get to you within 24 hours. My target, for now, is Peruvians who want to save money and work in e-commerce for people who have their businesses there and want to make money with this. Also, I am going to focus on the university target thinking about those Erasmus or students who travel continuously around the world.
The startup is called Hilo. Currently, I'm collaborating with the agency I work with, and I'm focusing on the client portfolio so I don't start from scratch. They are the ones who trust me and whom I have already secured.
What did you study in Italy and what is the degree you studied here before submitting this TFG?
I have always studied Tourism. I also studied Management and Tourism. In Orotava, it is called International Degree in Tourism and Leisure.
In which year did you present your TFG and in which year did you present the proposal for this startup?
I did my TFG in 2022, and then, at the beginning of 2024, I started working as such in Hilo.
How do you combine your work at the agency with the development and analysis of your startup Hilo? How do you manage it with your current job?
I had a conversation with my boss and I told him that I had the need, the desire and the ability to do both things at the same time because my clients are going to come to the office, it's our meeting point. I am a partner of the agency where I am working, I use my workplace to bring my clients to the office. For now, everything is under control, if demand and clients continue to increase, I plan to take on more people.
I have a marketing team to support the trust our clients place in the startup. This department is in charge of social media management and the strategic marketing plan, among other things.
What message do you want to convey to the user so that they have confidence in your startup and the service you are offering?
When we started the Peru-Italy route obviously, we tried to work on trust and customer consolidation, through reviews and testimonials, which are very important for those who are considering hiring our services. We also make video content or publications of these positive testimonials in which our good service is praised. I think if we work with testimonials and provide them with a trustworthy identity, we can do it.
What are your medium-term goals and what roadmap have you set out to follow?
I have several objectives. I want to build up a fairly large portfolio of clients and obviously expand to other islands, not only in the Canary Islands. I would like to help with this new and collaborative logistics, so that people have the facility to receive clothes, accessories and everything they want to buy almost immediately.