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Accordingly, at the event, Tubudd announced information about its new journey, signed agreements with investor TheVentures, and partnered with new partners such as community development partner GapoWork and co-working space provider HILINK.
Tubudd is a platform connecting international travelers with local guides, founded in 2017 in the UK. The idea originated from a group of young travel enthusiasts who realized the need for local guides to help travelers avoid disorientation, being disconnected from their destination, or worse, being scammed or robbed. Based on these realities, the group decided to build a technology platform to connect tourists with local guides.
The Tubudd platform receives investment from TheVentures fund.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Tubudd focused on developing technology products, concentrating on the domestic market, optimizing costs, and providing professional training for its team of buddies (local friends). Thanks to these efforts, as soon as Vietnam reopened and the economy recovered after Covid-19, Tubudd announced a successful funding round from TheVentures, a South Korean fund.
In 2022, with investment from TheVentures, Tubudd repositioned its brand with new goals and a mission based on its core value of connecting international travelers with local friends. Tubudd dedicates over 40% of its resources to creating transparent and secure connections for international businesspeople coming to Vietnam to seek investment opportunities and expand their markets, with Vietnamese travel assistants who possess excellent foreign language skills and business acumen. The remaining 60% of resources will continue to be allocated to tourism-related activities.
The Tubudd platform has always been oriented towards developing the capabilities of Vietnamese people. In its new version, Tubudd more clearly defines its mission as a place that brings together talented young Vietnamese people, helping them find an environment and job opportunities to "self-employ" their own skills and take control of their lives.
Tubudd has plans to categorize, train, and standardize the criteria for this emerging profession, such as The Adventure Buddy: a local friend on adventures; The Lifestyle Buddy: a local friend exploring local life; The Art Buddy: a local friend enjoying art; The History & Culture Buddy: a local friend learning about history and culture; The Business Buddy: a local assistant; The Medical & Beauty Buddy: a local healthcare support/caregiver.
Tubudd also encourages young people to improve their foreign language skills, learn about the local area, enhance their problem-solving abilities, and aim to become a skilled local in the future.
Speaking at the event announcing the new mission and goals, Annie Vu, CEO of Tubudd, said: "After the Covid-19 pandemic, Vietnam has become one of the best destinations in the world for tourism and travel. To create a safer and more sustainable tourism environment in Vietnam, Tubudd needs to do two things: categorize buddies to meet the requirements of tourists and standardize the expertise of buddies through training programs so that they become more professional and earn better incomes. These are certainly big goals, and we need a lot of help and support to make Vietnamese tourism more attractive and convenient for tourists."
Also at the event, the GapoWork platform partnered with Tubudd to develop a digital workspace for elite young Vietnamese people. Accordingly, GapoWork will be used by Tubudd to build an online workspace for Tubudd's executive board and the nationwide Buddy community to exchange work, share experiences, and develop the community.
Currently, Tubudd has 900 local guides in 40 cities and 12 countries worldwide, with 700 buddies in Vietnam. Tubudd is also a development partner for tourism startups such as Tripbtoz, dichungtaxi.com, and ADDI Global, aiming to provide comprehensive travel services to customers.
Additional information
The founding and development team of Tubudd consists of 3 members:
Annie Vu - CEO & Co-founder
Annie has 10 years of experience in media, marketing, and events in both the UK and Vietnam. During her time studying and working in the UK, Annie Vu absorbed the local culture, gaining confidence in her knowledge and communication skills, and working effectively with native Westerners. Annie has traveled to 21 countries, understanding regional cultures and the challenges of independent travel. Through this, Annie has gained valuable experiences as a tourist visiting new and unfamiliar countries. Currently, Annie manages Tubudd and is responsible for connecting with partners and raising capital.
Anthony Cruickshank - COO & Co-founder
Before coming to work in Vietnam, Anthony had six years of experience in tourism, business, and customer service in the UK. As a British person who worked in Vietnam for many years, Anthony understands the mindset of foreigners coming to Vietnam and the difficulties and obstacles a foreigner faces if they don't have the help of locals. Currently, Anthony is in charge of policy, sales, and customer service at Tubudd.
Ethan Dang - CTO & Co-founder
Ethan graduated from KAIST, a renowned IT university in South Korea. He has 8 years of experience in e-commerce platforms in Korea, Singapore, and Vietnam. Ethan spent over a year as a Software Engineer at Zendesk – Singapore; one year as a Software Engineer at Shopee – Garena Singapore, Vinagame – Ho Chi Minh City; and over a year as an iOS software developer in Hanoi. Currently, Ethan Dang is the company's chief technology developer – directly operating the Tubudd website and application platform.
