Mike Putman, CEO at Custom Travel Solutions, joins Travel Tech Con 2018

Happy to welcome Mike Putman & Custom Travel Solutions to Travel Tech Con 2018 Pitch Competition!

Mike, what in your opinion drives innovation and leaps forward in travel industry today and how is it different from say 10 years ago?

Time to market. Years ago the development cycle from idea to prototype was 5x what it is today.

What do you wish travel startups understood better about innovating in travel industry?

I’ve seen many innovators spend a lot of effort trying to deliver something that really doesn’t solve a problem. Start with the “why”, then test the “why” out over many groups of people, not just your F and F who might be afraid to crush your dream by telling you this isn’t a great idea. Then find out if the innovation is commercially reasonable. Does the end justify the means?

What does the industry need to better support travel startups in your opinion?

I haven’t seen a true travel incubator, that has the tools needed from top to bottom to allow quick, low-risk access to the tool set needed. It’s not about a cool co-working space, it’s about real tools need to engineer a solution in real time…..technology, content, API’s, fulfillment, merchant processing, customer service…..things start-up would need mid 6 figures to build out on their own.

Join Mike and many other travel tech experts at the upcoming Pitches and Demoes at Travel Tech Con 2018 on June 7th! Full program available via TTC18 mobile app and here’s how to get the most out of TTC18!