Episode 80: Gini’s Journey to Inclusive and Sustainable Travel Experiences with Virginia Scheele

How do you create a sustainable travel business in an industry often seen as unsustainable? And how do you navigate entrepreneurship when your environment doesn’t support your dream?

In Episode 80 of Women Disrupting Tech, Virginia Scheele, founder of Life of Gini and MATI, shares her inspiring journey from microbiology to entrepreneurship.

Learn how she turned 65 rejections into motivation, built two travel platforms redefining inclusion and impact, and why maximizing profit for good is at the heart of her mission.

Tune in for actionable insights on overcoming limiting beliefs, creating lasting impact through profitability, and making DEI the new normal in tech.

Or check out the show notes on the Women Disrupting Tech blog.

Timestamps

03:30 Virginia's Journey from Microbiology to Entrepreneurship

09:39 Overcoming Challenges: the Impact of Gender and Race (aka the story of 65 turned down applications)

15:28 The birth of Gini, a sustainable travel agency

21:33 Sustainability in Travel: A Deep Dive

32:31 Launching GINI, small steps toward the big goal

43:42 The impact of the Dutch New Narrative Lab program on her entrepreneurial journey

50:17 Profit for good, Virginia's Vision on Gini and Mati

56:36 The impact of rejection

59:30 Making DEI in tech the new normal