By Allan Maurer
Jesse Maddox
ATLANTA – For two years, Jessie Maddox, CEO of startup TripLingo, lived worked and traveled through ten different Asian countries. He started after landing a job as a marketing manager for a Caterpillar dealer in Vietnam when he graduated from college. But a lack of knowledge of the local culture and language stymied him.
“When I got started in Vietnam, ” Maddox says, “it didn’t take long to learn that without any language skills it was going to be rough. I’m not sure if you’ve ever asked where the restroom is using only your hands, but it’s just a tad bit embarrassing. That’s just the start: lacking language skills, my plans were easily thwarted and I often found myself frustrated. Worst of all, I had no sense for the culture I was now living in.”
Even a few phrases are helpful
So, he studied Vietnamese with a tutor every day for nine months. “That showed me how much better a trip can be if you know a little of the lingo.” Learning in a formal way, however, was neither the most fun nor the most useful way to learn a foreign language. “If you speak idiomatically, use local slang, you surprise people. They warm up to you very quickly. Even in a taxi, saying a few phrases to the driver may make him less inclined to rip you off.”
That’s why, when he returned to the U.S., he started TripLingo, a new Web site with mobile apps that helps travelers get the most out of a trip by giving them insight into local language, culture and customs. The company charges users $10 a country for the service, which is intended to be fun, engaging and customized to each individual’s needs.
“I really detested studying languages in school,” Maddox admits, “So we tried to make language learning fun with our product.”
Big gain at small cost
He says the goals for TripLingo include working with corporate and white label partners such as airlines and hotel chains. “So businesses can make their employees more effective on trips. Business is about relationships,” Maddox notes, “so demonstrating a little interest in the local culture can go a long way in establishing a relationship of mutual trust and understanding.”
“We’ll help them learn essential phrases – but like locals actually talk, with slang and idioms that color the language so you don’t stick out like a sore thumb.”
Such knowledge can make life in a foreign city easier in a number of ways. He recalls that while walking in Hanoi’s Old Quarter it could be difficult to get the produce sellers to leave you alone. A woman fruit seller approached him and, he explains, “I simply smiled and said “No rồi” (pronounced ‘naw zoi’) — “I’m full already”. A huge grin came over her face, she laughed, and said something back which I didn’t understand . It didn’t matter; in just two short syllables I’d avoided an awkward situation, engaged positively with the local culture, and had a memorable experience myself.”
It is a way to provide “a lot of value for a minimal cost,” Maddox says. “If you’re going to spend $10,000 to send someone overseas, for a fraction of that you can increase their effectiveness and the employees satisfaction.”
Seed funding expected
A white label airline partner, for instance, might enable a passenger on a flight to India to pick up a bit of Hindi on the seat back during the flight. A cruise line might help travelers pick up some Spanish on the way to Mexico. “It’s a way to enhance the value they’re providing,” Maddox says.
Atlanta is a good place for the company to start, Maddox says, with large potential partners such as Delta, Coke, and Intercontinental in the city.
The five co-founder company won $15,000 in services at an Atlanta Startup Riot event and raised about $50,000 from friends and family. It was a presenting company at TechMedia’s Southeast Venture Conference in March. (TechMedia’s next Atlanta event is the Digital Summit at the Cobb Galleria May 16-17, which brings together more than 60 presentations from top digital thought leaders).
It is negotiating with angel groups for a seed round of funding it expects to close soon if it has not already.
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Tags: Atlanta, Digital Summit, Jesse Maddox, language learning product, mobile apps, SEVC, Startup Riot, TripLingo
