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Johannes Reck

Co-Founder & CEO at GetYourGuide

Johannes Reck is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of GetYourGuide, a leading global online marketplace for booking travel experiences. He co-founded the company in 2009 while studying biochemistry at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich). The idea for GetYourGuide was inspired by a personal experience in Beijing, where he was guided by his friend Tao, now the company's COO. This encounter highlighted the value of guided experiences in travel, which became the core mission of GetYourGuide.

Under Johannes' leadership, GetYourGuide has grown significantly, becoming a major platform for travelers to discover and book tours, attractions, and immersive experiences worldwide. The company is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, and has raised substantial funding from investors like SoftBank and KKR. Johannes is responsible for setting the company's vision and strategy, driving its expansion into a global brand with over 150 million booked experiences across more than 11,000 cities.

Johannes is also involved in supporting other startup founders through mentorship and investment. His LinkedIn profile can be found under the username "johannesreck".12

Key Points About Johannes Reck:

  • Education: Master of Science in Biochemistry from ETH Zurich.
  • Work Experience: Co-Founder and CEO of GetYourGuide since 2009.
  • Background: Originally from Cologne, Germany.
  • Languages: Fluent in English, German, and French.
  • Role at GetYourGuide: Leads the company's vision and strategy, overseeing its growth into a leading global booking platform for travel experiences.
  • Involvement: Active in supporting startups as an investor and mentor.

Highlights

Jul 3 · linkedin

Guided tours are humanity's oldest and simplest way to travel, but there's nothing old-fashioned about them. That's because modern explorers know what the ancient Greeks and Romans did – that the best way to feel truly free is to be guided 🗺️

Remarkably, our latest GetYourGuide study found that even Gen Zs and Millennials trust local guides more than friends, family, or their own research to help them explore a destination.

Why? My teammate Madison has the answer:

"People may have previously shied away from guided tours because they're worried about looking too touristy. Young people embrace them because they realize that they're the best way to get immersed in a destination."

Long live the local guide 🤙

Thanks to Opheli Garcia Lawler at Thrillist for the writeup:

Apr 8 · linkedin

What does it mean to be innovative? 💡

At GetYourGuide, it means staying focused on a single mission: unlocking experiences worth traveling for. And it’s our consistent dedication over time that has unlocked an incredible accolade: We’ve been named to Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies list for the second time.

This honor is a testament to the incredible efforts of our team, our experience partners, and our industry to overcome a once-in-a-lifetime crisis and bounce back stronger than ever.

We last won the award in 2019. The experiences category then — as now — was red-hot, but we never could have predicted the challenges and change that the onset of the COVID pandemic would bring. Together with our partners, we navigated the long road back, and rebuilt an industry that is once again thriving today.

Personally, I’m most proud of what we learned along the way: Connecting with one another is what makes our world worth living in.

Our journey has been guided by the belief that travel is about more than just visiting a destination; it’s about being enriched by one another, human-to-human. I am proud we’ve built a company that enables that connection by helping hundreds of thousands of local experts around the world promote and preserve the culture of the places they inhabit.

As we look to the future, our sights are set on continuing to innovate at the intersection of travel, culture, and technology. Our vision for a new era of travel — guided by personal expression, technological innovation, and human connection — has never been clearer or brighter. 🔆

Read more about our win: https://lnkd.in/dqCi6_E9

#GetYourGuide #FCMostInnovative #OriginalsByGetYourGuide

Related Questions

What inspired Johannes Reck to transition from biochemistry to entrepreneurship?
How did the experience in Beijing influence the creation of GetYourGuide?
What are some of the biggest challenges Johannes Reck has faced as CEO of GetYourGuide?
How has GetYourGuide's strategy evolved under Johannes Reck's leadership?
What advice does Johannes Reck give to aspiring entrepreneurs?
Johannes Reck
Johannes Reck, photo 1
Johannes Reck, photo 2
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Location

Berlin Metropolitan Area