2023-08-11 09:33:54
Go to the other side of the world but with a net that holds you in case there are problems. GrowPro is a platform for international educational experiences founded in 2013 by Goiko Llobet (current CEO of the company) and Pablo Gil, who lived in Melbourne (Australia). Its objective is that no person was alone when landing at their destination.
“I was a computer engineer working as a business intelligence consultant and it just didn’t feel like it was right for me. I wanted to start a business and in 2013 I left everything behind and went with Pablo Gil, my best friend, to Australia. When I arrived, I realized that starting in a new country is not easy and from there came the idea of supporting all those people who decide to change their lives through travel”, recalls Llobet.
In their search to set up a business, they realized that, like them, there were many people who came to Australia but without any type of support and without knowing anyone. “We decided to organize a paella to invite students and thus create a community where they could support each other,” Goiko Llobet details, acknowledging that, since then, they have only dedicated themselves to “facilitating the procedures for those who want to start a new life” in other countries and, once they arrive, “find in GrowPro everything they need to fully enjoy their experience.”
six destinations
Currently, the platform operates in six destinations (Australia, Canada, the United States, Ireland, Malta and New Zealand) as they are the most demanded by students. The GrowPro Experience team is in charge of offering all the services that students need to organize and enjoy their experience abroad and accompany them to the destination. According to their data, more than 20,000 students have enjoyed an international experience thanks to the GrowPro Experience.
“When we decide to open a destination, we check that it meets certain conditions: that they are countries with very attractive visa programs, that they have educational quality, that they allow us to work, and that they are attractive destinations for our audience,” he explains. After Australia, “New Zealand was a logical step by proximity. We opened Canada later because it was a great market and highly sought after by LATAM as it is a highly migratory profile”, this entrepreneur deepens. “Ireland and Malta were our last destinations to open; we did it during the pandemic because they were more flexible accepting travelers. Ireland, for its more academic English and its options to find work and Malta, for being very attractive for a younger profile”.
At this point, he acknowledges that new destinations and origins are planned in the future. “In the origins we already have a lot of presence in Latam. In addition, we want to have the whole of Europe as an origin, since we also have a presence, beyond Spain.
As for destinations, Spain and the United Kingdom “are on the calendar but we are going step by step, and as long as we can offer the best quality to our Growers once they arrive at the destination,” he details.
According to their data, approximately 50% of travelers choose Australia, followed by Canada and Ireland, while the nationalities that most demand these services are Spain, Mexico, Colombia and Chile.
Users and profile
Since the company was founded 10 years ago, he assures that he has accompanied more than 25,000 people. “In 2022 alone, more than 5,000 Growers traveled with us,” says the CEO. They hope to close 2023 with more than 9,500 users. In addition, they have an active community of more than 5,000 people in the destination countries and they hold more than 500 events a year, in all our destinations. “
The user profile is a person between the ages of 18 and 35, “with an adventurous profile, a desire to live an international experience and improve their professional profile.”
Goiko Llobet assures that “a person who contracts the services with GrowPro pays the same as a person who manages it on their own” even though they have “advice from day 1, a complete team that helps them with the procedures, recommendations for selecting school, course or work. In addition, once you arrive at your destination, the team that welcomes you, organizes events, supports you and creates a community so that the experience is complete”.
Asked about the business model, he details that “our partners pay us to provide travelers, which are both the schools in the destination countries, as well as many of the companies with which we collaborate in order to offer the best services in terms of quality and price (Insurance , accommodation, flights…)”.
For this reason, he assures that “we are very focused on being a company that seeks positive EBITDA, so that raising capital is not a necessity, but rather something that helps us boost growth.” Despite everything, in April of this year they closed a round of 1.5 million euros from Kfund which, added to a round in 2021 led by Angels Capital, add up to 3 million of investment received to date.
In addition, among investors and advisors “we have top-level people such as Iñigo Juantegui (La Nevera Roja, Ontruck), Alejandro Artacho (Spotahome), Javier López (Erasmusu) or Emi (Erasmusu)”.
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