A passion for art, culture and travel is driving the success of The Culture Trip – a business set up by a former medical academic.

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The Culture Trip

Based in: London Founded in: 2011 No. of employees: 10 Company founder: Kris Naudts

Founder profile:

Kris Naudts was a very successful and entrepreneurial academic who became the UK’s youngest medical director at a very early age. Having travelled around the world as an academic and passionate about global art and culture, Kris changed career and founded The Culture Trip in 2011.

Background business profile:

The Culture Trip is a one-stop website where a global community congregates around the world’s best art, culture and travel. It focusses on Asia and other emerging markets and has acquired an audience in more than 200 countries.

Inside track:

It was a drastic change in career direction for Kris Naudts when he decided to leave behind his successful medical career and focus on building a business around his passion – travel.

Being a doctor of medicine and neuroscience meant that Naudts had been able to do a fair bit of globetrotting and had enjoyed indulging in the pleasure of immersing himself in all aspects of a local culture when he was in a far off land.

His start-up, The Culture Trip, began life focussing on books but has since expanded to all elements of the arts. It is a business which is taking advantage of the global communities which have began to characterise the internet, where people want to share their experiences with others.

Since being set up in 2011, the business has had interest from the likes of Google and Time Out. It is putting a lot of weight behind growing its unique visitors count, and expanding the written content that populate the site.

Despite not being a British national, Naudts was firm in his belief that London was the best place to build his business – and he has not been disappointed.

‘The easiest thing for me has been finding suitable people to help. London is such a great pool,’ he explains.

‘It is very easy for us to get people who have an arts and culture background, and exposure to emerging markets.’

Naudts would like to raise somewhere in the region of £2 million for The Culture Trip to allow for team growth. He would like to expand its existing partnership with Microsoft as well as increasing traction in the US.

Recent milestones:

• Microsoft MSN: Content license agreement for South-east Asia
• WaytoStay: Cultural rating agreement (apartment rental): 4 European cities
• Named in thegoodwebguide.co.uk: Best sites for travel: the next generation

Upcoming milestones:

• Microsoft: Multi-Strand Strategic Partnership
• Silicon Valley/Israel/London: venture capital pitch
• Metrics: 100,000 unique visitors / month and 100,000 Facebook followers

Alliances:

• Microsoft
• WaytoStay, leading European holiday apartment rental provider
• Auctionata, leading online auction house

Investors:

• Mark Denning – Capital Research Global Investors
• Nigel Foster – Camino Group

See also: 25 of the most exciting fast growing technology companies in the UK