Pauline Andre’s startup GlobeSisters is a hospitality exchange platform tailored for women. Andre shared about her own past experiences and answered a series of questions about what compelled her to start the company, what she’s learned on the entrepreneurship journey, and where she hopes to take the business.

Women Leading Travel & Hospitality: What made you decide to start a company?

Pauline Andre: I’ve always been fascinated by the world of entrepreneurship and have worked as a top executive assistant for two CEOs, as well as supporting large corporations like Amazon to develop programs for startups. After identifying a gap in the market through personal experience, I decided to pursue entrepreneurship.

As a passionate solo traveler, I have always cherished the opportunity to see countries through the eyes of locals. Some of my most memorable experiences have come from homestays with local hosts. However, two years ago, I had a traumatic experience that caused me to stop using homestay platforms.

Being a woman, I’ve always been mindful of my safety, particularly when interacting with strangers. Unfortunately, many homestay listings are created by men, and while the vast majority of the hosts I’ve met were kind and respectful, there were a few times when I felt uncomfortable. Indeed, some users are using homestays as dating platforms. That’s how many women have reported unsettling experiences, myself included.

My worst experience occurred in 2020 while backpacking in Chile. Finding female hosts in the country was difficult, and one night I ended up staying with a man who made me feel uncomfortable. He got drunk and became aggressive, insisting that I sleep in his bed with him. He ended up locking me in his apartment, but I managed to escape through the window to save my life.

After that traumatic experience, I spoke to many other women who had similar experiences and others who were too scared to solo travel because of safety concerns. I realized that there was a need for an alternative solution tailored for women’s needs, and two years later, I founded GlobeSisters.

WLT&H: What is GlobeSisters?

PA: GlobeSisters is a hospitality exchange platform that connects female travelers with trusted local residents. Our community is 100 percent composed of ID-checked women. Our goal is to empower women to travel by providing them with a safe and trustworthy network of local hosts. Currently our hosts are primarily based in the United States, while our travelers come from all over the world. The mobile application is now available for download on the Apple and Google Play stores.

WLT&H: What is the biggest challenge you face as an entrepreneur?

PA: The biggest challenge I’ve encountered as an entrepreneur is creating a product tailored for women in a male-dominated ecosystem. The entrepreneurial community — mentors, entrepreneurs, and investors — is largely dominated by men. As a result, I sometimes feel that it can be more difficult to receive support, as they may not fully understand the issues that solo female travelers face and the solution I’m offering.

WLT&H: What lessons have you learned as an entrepreneur?

PA: The team is the most critical component at GlobeSisters. We are fortunate to have a passionate and dedicated group of individuals who are committed to making the world more accessible, inclusive, and human. Having the right team has been instrumental in guiding the startup in the right direction. I believe it’s better to have a small, tight-knit team rather than to scale too quickly.

Understanding the customer is the key to success. A company’s true competitive advantage lies in having a deep understanding of the people it serves and their evolving needs and preferences. Being GlobeSisters’ target customer, I’m lucky enough to deeply understand our members’ needs and expectations.

WLT&H: What are you most proud of as an entrepreneur?

PA: As of today, I am most proud of the fact that we are empowering women to fulfill their travel aspirations. Almost half of the women who participated in a GlobeSisters experience had never traveled solo before. The trend of female solo travel is becoming increasingly popular, with a growing number of hostels focusing on this demographic. Eighty-five percent of American women have already traveled solo, and the number is only increasing post-pandemic. However, many women still fear traveling solo or doing so in foreign countries.

Seventy-nine percent of GlobeSisters members have been hesitant to connect with local hosts on other platforms due to safety concerns. This is where we aim to make a difference — by making solo travel more accessible and genuine for women. I firmly believe that travel has the power to make people rediscover themselves and open their minds. Therefore, I am so proud that we are making travel accessible to women.

WLT&H: What are the next steps for GlobeSisters?

PA: Our next objective is to expand our reach and help more women from diverse countries and backgrounds to travel and host. Currently we are focused on destinations in the U.S., and our plan is to expand to European countries for next summer. To achieve this, we aim to raise a pre-seed funding round of $1 million to strengthen our team and support our expansion in Europe. We are currently in search of the right investors who align with our vision and mission.