Voyella – She Travels Alone

My Role

Project Manager/CEO
Designer
User Researcher
Business Developer
Market Strategist

Deliverables

User Interviews
High-Fidelity Designs
Prototype Development
Go-to-Market Plan
Startup Expo Presentation
Pitch Deck Creation

Our Team

Chief Executive Officer
Chief Marketing Officer
Chief Finance Officer
Chief Technology Officer
Chief Operating Officer

Program Overview

The European Innovation Academy (EIA) is a prestigious 15-day innovation boot camp held in Porto, Portugal, in 2024. This program provides participants with an immersive experience in entrepreneurship, design thinking, and innovation. As part of this transformative initiative, I earned certification in entrepreneurial innovation while collaborating with global peers, mentors, and industry leaders to develop a comprehensive business model, prototype, and investor pitch.

Project Overview

Voyella is a conceptual app designed to empower solo female travelers by fostering community connections and providing traveler-driven insights. The app aims to address the challenges faced by women traveling alone, such as finding trusted accommodations, building a sense of community, and discovering safe and welcoming spaces to explore.

As a women-led initiative, Voyella focused on creating an inclusive platform that prioritizes safety, trust, and community building. By integrating interactive features like cleanliness ratings, community reviews, and trusted recommendations, the project sought to redefine how women experience solo travel.

Project Outcome

Voyella is a conceptual app designed to empower solo female travelers by fostering community connections and providing traveler-driven insights. By addressing key challenges such as finding trusted accommodations, navigating local hygiene needs, and connecting with other women, Voyella aims to redefine solo travel for women. The app integrates interactive features like safety ratings, cleanliness reviews, and community-driven recommendations to create an inclusive, user-centric platform.

In less than five days, Voyella achieved over 330 sign-ups, validated through 20+ industry expert interviews, and resonated deeply with users during its beta phase. The app reimagines solo travel, enabling women to explore new destinations with confidence and connection

Target Users & Their Needs

Voyella’s target audience is solo female travelers, particularly Gen-Z women, who seek safe, trustworthy, and community-oriented travel solutions. Research revealed that 88% of women feel unsafe when traveling alone, and many lack resources that prioritize their unique needs, such as safe accommodations, cleanliness of public spaces, and opportunities to connect with other women travelers.

The app was designed to address these concerns by offering safety-focused recommendations for accommodations and destinations, a platform for real-time connections with other solo female travelers nearby, and features to locate and assess the cleanliness of the nearest hygiene facilities. Voyella aims to foster community, mitigate fears, and help women immerse themselves in new cultures while prioritizing their safety and comfort.

My Role: Ceo & Product Lead

As CEO during the 15-day European Innovation Academy Bootcamp in Porto, Portugal, I oversaw all aspects of the project, managing team organization and daily progress while ensuring seamless operations. I developed the business model and financial strategy, spearheaded the app’s UX/UI design to align with user needs, and led research efforts through user interviews and usability testing to refine the concept. Additionally, I pitched the project to Silicon Valley investors in two funding rounds, securing recognition and support. My leadership extended across all facets of the project, ensuring a cohesive vision while driving innovation and execution. This collaborative effort culminated in a beta prototype that validated the concept and achieved impressive early traction.

Our Journey: Weekly Breakdown

Week 1: Pivot & Validation

We began our journey by exploring the idea of creating an app that would automatically lock phones to encourage off-screen time. To validate this concept, we conducted three surveys to gauge user interest and market demand. Through this process, we discovered that the market was oversaturated, and users lacked interest in such a solution. By the end of Week 1, we made the difficult decision to pivot completely, starting from scratch while other teams were progressing rapidly. Drawing on our shared experiences of feeling disconnected from local culture during travel, we brainstormed ways to foster community and create meaningful connections.

Week 2: Development & Refinement

After deciding to focus on women in solo travel, we conducted surveys to validate the concept and confirmed a significant need for an app addressing safety, cleanliness, and community among solo female travelers. With time constraints, we worked intensively over four days to conduct user research, refine the business model, and develop a UX/UI prototype. We also created marketing strategies and prepared a beta version of our product. By the end of the week, we presented our concept in a practice pitch to peers, receiving valuable feedback that helped us improve further.

Week 3: Finalization & Pitching

Despite starting the final week behind other teams, we pushed forward to complete a comprehensive pitch deck, viable business model, and monetization strategy. This week focused on perfecting our pitch for investors. Our team participated in the first round of pitching, where we were selected as one of the top teams among 60 participants. I then had the honor of pitching our idea to Silicon Valley investors, garnering significant interest and establishing Voyella as a standout project at the bootcamp.

Conclusion

Participating in the European Innovation Academy as CEO and lead product designer for Voyella was both an intense and rewarding experience. From navigating the challenges of pivoting ideas under tight deadlines to crafting a product that resonated with users, this journey tested our creativity, adaptability, and teamwork. Developing a solution that empowers solo female travelers was deeply fulfilling, especially as it addressed a real need and gained significant interest from both users and investors.

The success of being selected as one of the top teams and pitching to Silicon Valley investors was a testament to our perseverance and innovation. However, the experience also underscored the importance of flexibility and learning from feedback. This project was a transformative milestone, and while the concept of Voyella holds immense potential, the journey itself has inspired me to continue refining and pushing boundaries in the pursuit of impactful design and entrepreneurship

Skills Gained

-PRODUCT MANAGEMENT

-USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN

-CREATIVE STRATEGY

-CROSS FUNCTIONAL TEAM MANAGEMENT

-PITCHING