The story behind ChallengeBus

From 2008 onwards, Arne Hulstein made a series of road trips, meeting startups to tell their stories through video and blogs. Road trips and startups seemed made for each other. After experiences with a number of hackathons and other startup events, a bus seemed the ideal setting. A pressure cooker for both the idea and the team, because you can’t walk away.

The first edition certainly had its challenges around mobile data and the availability of fast internet. The link with StartupBus was quickly made, and the first StartupBus Europe left in 2011 with 25 participants on board for a 2,700-kilometre trip. What stayed with Arne wasn’t the startups themselves, but what the combination of confined space, time pressure and enforced proximity did to a group of people.

More trips followed under the ChallengeBus name. A great challenge that suits many different purposes. But most importantly, on a bus you get to know yourself and your team. It’s not a casual ride, but it is a ride that gets you thinking and connecting with others.