In episode six we’re having a chat with Bruno Haid, co-founder of Caravanserai - a company on their way to starting a global co-living provider for professionals who seek a great work-life balance and don't want to waste time piecing it together themselves.
Bruno describes his earlier years - from spending his childhood in a small village on the Italian-Austrian border up to his 20s, which he spent doing startups in Europe and eventually started moving towards the US.
Unlike most nomads, it was mostly pure necessity that dragged him into different places rather than the need for adventure - however, through his travels he eventually realized the needlessness for materialism and the importance of reducing barriers and making moving around more appealing to people.
Bruno’s first important touching point with communal living was a massive warehouse - sharing a huge room with several other people. After the owners of the place kicked him out for renting it out for after hour parties, he was brought to creating 20Mission - a giant communal living space for a very diverse group of people from all walks of life - an experience that eventually changed what “home” means to him.
We talk about the importance of these living spaces and why communal arrangements are a great first starting point for young entrepreneurs, especially if their network isn’t strong, and how being around other people in the same situation helps with getting started and gaining valuable experience.
Caravanserai (you’ll also find out the cool backstory to the name!) is moving towards solving the housing problem in general, not only in the narrow scope of digital nomads - Bruno talks about why he’s so convinced that housing has to eventually move away from the notion of being a fixed point in space and needs to become more communal.
We take a look at how Caravanserai works to reduce the possibility of losing out on valuable time when finding a perfect place to stay - for most people, environment is everything, and that’s why earning trust by creating and designing the product to perfection is crucial - Caravanserai is focused on creating the optimal environment for development and productivity.
A big part of creating a one of a kind experience is partnering up with smart home providers to make sure that the way the product works is always the same no matter where you show up on the planet - always uniquely local, yet providing every possible essential needed.
We talk about plans for the future - what will happen if this lifestyle keeps expanding and people move around more and more at a whim rather than expertly planning their location changes depending on different variables? Will nation states matter anymore? What’s next in this seemingly inevitable change in what people consider a “home”? And, most importantly - when will Caravanserai be launched at full speed? Let’s say that it seems like exciting things might be happening very soon!
And as a traditional part of our Free People Move podcasts, Bruno finishes up the chat by bringing into light some issues he’s run into that don’t have a solution quite yet.
Happy listening!
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