Meet the founder of Jobbatical
I'm super excited to be having this conversation with you. Who is Karoli Hindriks and what is Jobbatical?
I am the founder of Jobbatical, a marketplace that connects globally minded companies with a community of ready-to-relocate business, technology, and creative professionals. We like to think that we are helping to build a borderless world through jobs. We help organisations across 49 countries to discover and shortlist talent ready to join their teams in a new country. We can also support the immigration process in 32 countries.
Inspiration is always a great indication of why people launch businesses. Who or what inspired you to get started?
I got the inspiration for Jobbatical when I was in Silicon Valley studying at the Singularity University. I started to ask myself: why are amazing companies emerging from here and not anywhere else in the world? The answer I realised was because of knowledgeable people being drawn to this location.
So, I thought what if we inspire knowledgeable people to discover their dream locations in far-flung cities by moving there for a career journey? Instead of taking a two week holiday in a dream location, they could experience authentic local life by spending a few years there working for a local business. I started to work on that idea in 2014 and we launched at the end of the year. Setting up the company was technically simple in Estonia – it took just 10 minutes online. But, of course, the first year was challenging since in that early stage you just have the idea and no understanding if it will actually work. I found my first angel investors in Finland and then later on from Russia, UK, Estonia, and Latvia.
How do you set yourself apart from other businesses in your industry?
Jobbatical is the first start-up focused on connecting the tech industry with ready-to-relocate talent around the world. With the tagline ‘Hire the World’, Jobbatical sits squarely at the intersection of the future of travel, work and talent mobility. While many other companies provide job matching, Jobbatical differentiates itself with immigration assistance, client branding, copywriting and other support services.
How did you conquer those moments of doubt that so often affect entrepreneurs or stop many with great ideas – what pushes you through?
At the age of sixteen, I discovered that I had the power to change things for the better and then suddenly, I made it my goal to make a difference in the world. We all have limited time in this world - why not use that time to actually make things happen? So that is my most significant driver. But in my moments of doubt then building a vision is a bit like rock climbing, the main thing is not to look down since you may get dizzy but to move forwards, one challenge at a time and not look back. Otherwise, it may get overwhelming. I just try not to look down, but it does not always work out. Believe me, there is no day that passes by when I don't ask myself if I am the best person to lead that journey.
Who is your target audience?
We are a marketplace, therefore on the talent side we look for globally curious tech, creative and business talent. From the business side of things, companies who are having difficulties filling certain job roles locally and in general, organisations who are looking to boost cultural diversity within their teams to bring in new ideas.
What would be your number one tip for young entrepreneurs who are ready to launch their own business?
Learn to say “no”. I founded my first company from a high school project and became the youngest inventor of my country at the age of 16. It made me famous and soon enough, I was speaking in the European Parliament at the age of 19, was BusinessWeek's 20 top Entrepreneurs under 25 in Europe when I was 23! Because of this I was saying yes to every speaking opportunity, meeting requests, and to interviews without thinking about the impact it could have on my business. Today I am becoming the master of saying no. The requests have to qualify in at least one of the two brackets: 1) Will it help Jobbatical to grow? 2) Will it help my family? If it does not fit in there, then it is a no. It has helped me to become much more efficient.
If you could have one person record your voicemail, who would it be and why?
Trevor Noah! I think this is one person in the world who aligns well with my own and Jobbatical’s vision of the world. If everybody in the world could read his book “Born a Crime”, I'm sure we would have a more tolerant and peaceful world. So if you get Trevor Noah to record my voicemail, then I would start using voicemail :)
What’s first in the mornings, phone, book, laptop or me time?
Phone, unfortunately. Working between distant time zones has not been too good for my me-time.
What habits do you think helped you to become successful?
Constantly training my willpower. I try to push myself every day to do things that may not be comfortable for me. To get over my fear of heights, I went sky-diving. I was probably the worst and slowest runner in my class, but I turned it into my favourite sport and I run marathons.
How did you build such an amazing consumer culture around Jobbatical?
I believe one thing really exciting about today's world is that people want to do meaningful things. In an era where automation is taking over the tasks which do not really need much thinking then people can and are choosing paths where their time in this world makes a difference. At Jobbatical, we are helping to build a world without borders, a world where people come together with all their cultural quirks and differences and operate side by side without prejudice. I believe that is what helps to attract good, different, but globally like-minded people to our network.
What would be your top marketing tip, to grow a business that is so niche, yet incredibly timeless?
Use the power of storytelling, but be authentic and sincere in doing it.
What are your thoughts on failure as an entrepreneur?
Failure is part of the process. If we do not embrace or accept failure, then we have to stand still. At Jobbatical, we try to encourage failure, since if people are afraid to fail then they will not create. I wish our societies in Europe would encourage failure more, that way we would have more entrepreneurs. I also like how my mentor and investor, Andy Weissman from USV, says: “Failure is great, but let's just not make the same mistake twice.”
Five sustainable gaming companies that provide great inspiration to startups wanting to do good in the world.
From 31 January, businesses moving goods from the European Union (EU) to Great Britain (GB) will need to comply with new UK safety and security declaration requirements.
Its simplicity has made transitioning from traditional tobacco to vaping a breeze for many.
Bitcoin, the digital currency conceived in 2009 by the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto, is a financial phenomenon. Despite the volatility of global markets, it has demonstrated remarkable resilience.
From university students and young entrepreneurs to senior executives, imposter syndrome remains a common thread in everyone’s personal career journey.
Seeing your ideas materialise, working for yourself, leading others, and becoming a CEO might seem like a dream come true, and indeed, it is for many.
While the benefits of a well-executed PR strategy are evident to practitioners, misconceptions among business leaders often cast PR as fluff, lacking business results.
In an era marked by the cost-of-living crisis, the landscape of consumer behaviour is undergoing a significant transformation. This shift demands a strategic adaptation from businesses.
When it comes to managing spend in a business, the budgeting process can set a high level of accountability. This drives headcount forecasts, subscription-based spend, and key projects throughout the year.
It was more of a gut feeling that led us to the intersection of digitalisation, mobiles and the democratisation of payments. Paynetics felt strongly about making moving and managing money right for everyone and started building a platform that covers it all.
I’m Simon Goodman and I started out in PR, where I was introduced to the noble Choc Ice working on the Cadburys account. At the time they were looking to upgrade the humble choc ice.
In 2017, Matt launched Borrow A Boat, aka the ‘Airbnb’ of boats, making waves in the charter industry by offering a modern marketplace solution with the aim of making boating more accessible, affordable, flexible and inclusive for all.
Founded in 2021 by Alisa Patotsakaya, Immersive Fox is a text-to-video generation startup that specialises in providing businesses with AI-generated videos for sales and customer communication.
Samantha Gilchrist, co-founder and CEO of The Gilchrist Collection, shares her life as an entrepreneur.
Co-founded by Conrad Poulson in 2014, Huq has been at the forefront of utilising cutting- edge technologies and innovative mobility research methods.
Going from employee to founder was a huge leap of faith. I announced the agency just a few days after turning 26 and like most 26-year-olds, I hadn’t ever owned or run a business before.
Patchwork Health was co-founded by Dr Anas Nader and Dr Jing Ouyang with the mission to make truly flexible and sustainable working a reality for all healthcare staff, amid the current workforce crisis.
After a lifetime working as a project manager for some of the world’s largest tech companies, Jeb Buckler set up Startup Giants PLC to ensure that no good tech concepts should go to waste.
So, I encouraged Ben to officially incorporate The Handbag Clinic as its own independent luxury handbag offshoot in 2013 – all still operated through our ecommerce platform at the time.
I’m Diana Babics, founder of Nourish Awards. I began in finance (accounts and auditing) before deciding this simply wasn’t for me. I then headed off to university as a mature student, initially to study art and design and latterly interior architecture.
greenworkx is co-founded by two education sector workers, Mat llic and Richard Ng, who are passionate about the planet and believe reskilling and upskilling UK workers into green jobs is future-proofing the economy.
Blaise Hope, founder and CEO of Origin Hope, brings two decades of media experience to his groundbreaking content partnership venture.
Co-founded by Nisha Ramisetty and Sam Williams, the idea for Naksha was born in 2020 when cooking became an escape during lockdown.
Charlene Hurlock was inspired by her daughter and her best friend who independently started swapping their pre-loved clothes. Aside from being a Mum, Charlene's background is predominately in global exhibition sales and media advertising.
In North America, Iced Teas (Coldbrew) is a bustling £2bn marketplace. Yet, in the UK, despite being the second fastest-growing soft drink sub-category (after cold brew coffee), there is still a lack of appreciation for brands like Kaytea.
I’m Melissa Gauge, founder of SpareMyTime. I left my corporate role in 2016 to set up a City-based business with a couple of partners and another business by myself, an online platform.
Founded in 2006 by Amelia Peckham and Clare Braddel, Cool Crutches & Walking Sticks aims to empower those who need support to walk.
I’m Gerry Lianos - the co-founder of Raffolux, an online raffling platform that gives people the chance to win amazing prizes for a low cost and support charities close to their hearts.
Jason Tim is the CEO and co-founder of CloudSmiths and has been CEO for the past two years. Prior to this, he held previous roles at the company such as Managing Director and Sales Director.
My name is Lucy Bramley and I'm the founder of Ruched & Ready, one of the UK's leading size inclusive fashion labels helping women embrace their curves and feel confident.
KBF Enterprises was established in 2008 by Managing Director, Kieran Fisher and is the business behind two of the most recognised sports nutrition brands in the UK – Bodybuilding Warehouse® and Warrior®.
Matt Cater is co-founder of Clix Technologies, an innovative new company that offers the UK’s only mobile-first, fully customisable, Web App-based smart lockers.
Ben Maruthappu is a London-based doctor and CEO of Cera, a multi-award winning digital-first home healthcare company, which has grown 100-fold in the past three years, now delivering over 50,000 patient appointments a day.
The Natural Love Company was founded by friends and wedding photographers Ben Foster and Barney Walters. The Cornwall-based business was launched as a result of their previous careers being put on halt by the pandemic.
As the CEO of Botify, Adrien has had both a global and notable career, co-founding Botify back in 2012 and thereafter relocating to the United States from France. Adrien is passionate about shifting the organic search marketing landscape.
Sançar has spent years leading marketing teams at high-profile startups, including Typeform and Hotjar. Early in his career, he struggled to set work-life boundaries and lacked a clear understanding of his personal wellbeing needs and values.
Co-founded by Mike Robertson and Adrian Brown, AbbeyCross is the world’s first B2B trading and compliance marketplace, focused on improving underlying market infrastructure for Emerging Market (“EM”) currencies.
My name is Derk Roodhuyzen de Vries and I am the CEO and co-founder of Fixico. Alongside my business partner Mark van Laar, we created Fixico back in 2014 to revolutionise the car repair industry.
Linkup was founded by the two Manchester-based entrepreneurs, Jack Peagam and Ben Whatson, as they aim to step away from ‘traditional' career paths and combine their shared passion for creativity with business.
Emilie Vallauri is a 27-year-old program manager at Techstars with a passion for innovation. Born and raised in Nice, France, Emilie studied business and political sciences before embarking on a career punctuated by innovation and supporting startups.
Zsuzsa has been instrumental in growing Antavo from a startup to a scaleup. As Chief Strategy Officer and co-founder, she is transforming the company into a unique loyalty technology vendor, offering a next-gen, best-in-class solution to the loyalty sector.
Software engineering and product development is my specialisation - and I have had a wide range of experience across the industry. I had a brilliant 22-year long career at IBM, working across a number of roles, which I really loved.
Holly Zoccolan is an entrepreneur and Founder of new parenting app, Carol. Before Founding Carol and entering the tech space, Holly built successful online wellness brand The Health Zoc in 2016.
Anna Gudmundson is the CEO and co-founder of Sensate, a device that emits infrasonic waves that are synchronised to resonate with the specially composed hemispheric audio in the app.
Rebecca is Senior Vice President of Clients, Partnership and Creative Transformation at CreativeX, provider of an industry-first AI driven data platform to help the world’s most loved brands including PepsiCo, Nestle and Facebook achieve creative excellence.
Early-stage entrepreneurs across the UK with a clear social or environmental mission are invited to apply for EASI26 – the Entrepreneurs' Award in Social Innovation – before the 31st March 2026 deadline.
University of Edinburgh spin-out BIOCAPTIVA has raised £1.58 million in a new funding round and launched its first product in the US.
The appointment represents a key step in AppsFlyer’s continued evolution as the Modern Marketing Cloud, helping brands unify measurement, data collaboration, and activation across increasingly complex digital ecosystems.
However, the findings underline a clear truth for business leaders – human connection remains a powerful driver of commercial performance, and leadership confidence.
SPORTL, a London-based pay-as-you-train fitness booking platform, has launched today across app stores after closing a £250K pre-seed funding round backed by industry experts.
With this investment, Uvionix will accelerate its product release and expand its market presence across the US and Europe.
The company's technology will have innovative applications in infant nutrition, cosmetic and dermatological, and cognitive industries.
This funding will accelerate Mulder’s mission to tackle the transparency and compliance challenges that complicate the medical device supply chain.
Tangible, a software platform for decarbonizing construction has raised $3 million in a funding round co-led by Prologis Ventures and Pi Labs. Additional investors include Foundamental, Silence VC, and RE Angels.
DBLX, led by CEO and Co-Founder Nicky Hoyland, collaborates with global enterprises to enhance their people experiences. The company’s offerings include immersive digital content, bespoke platform development, and strategic consulting services.
Apheris, the leading federated computing company powering data networks for the life sciences sector, today announced the completion of a Series A funding round, bringing total funding to date to $20.8 million.
Co-investors on deals during 2024 included Investment Fund for Scotland (managed by Maven Capital), Scottish National Investment Bank, Old College Capital, Scottish Enterprise, Par Equity, Mercia and various Scottish angel syndicates.
This funding will propel Criterion Capital's vision of redefining hospitality with its sleep-centric, design-forward hotel concept.
The theme of this year’s BBBAwards is #NEXT. Now in its 11th year, the BBBAwards is marking a new decade of celebration of the outstanding achievements of Black professionals and entrepreneurs in the UK.
Aistetic, a groundbreaking Oxford University AI spinout, has proudly announced its participation in the Techstars Future of Ecommerce Accelerator powered by eBay, a highly competitive program designed to help shape ecommerce.
An alarming new study of workplace leaders describes an environment of unconscious fear in modern-day leadership, leading to toxic culture, stunted growth, performance and productivity, and decision inertia.
Mambu, a leading Software as a Service (SaaS) cloud banking platform, today announced it is now available in AWS Marketplace, making it one of the first core banking providers on the site.
Bengalis have been rewarded and acknowledged for their substantial contribution to healthcare, finance, politics, education and the arts.
Retail PR will be working with COOK in the lead up to Christmas, helping to support their PR objectives throughout the golden quarter.
A new cohort of six GeoTech and PropTech start-ups has just been selected to start on its Accelerator Programme.
In 2020, data confirmed that there are 1,223,850 tonnes of waste disposed in the ocean, with future predictions standing at a rise of 60% by 2030, 147.4% by 2040 and 274% by 2050.
A growing social enterprise supported by a global network, Impact Hub London Euston at Regent’s Place will offer under-served local communities affordable workspace and tailored business support, as well as arranging impactful engagement activities throughout Camden.
Phil Race appointed as Chief Executive as Jim Darragh steps down after seven successful years of leadership.
Appointment of product management leader, Phillip Burr, to bring Lumai’s game-changing AI technology to market across all regions.
New data released from Tech Climbers has revealed how Greater Manchester’s tech sector continues to thrive, as companies plan to attract millions in investment.
Appointments of Joel Cardenas as the new Head of Business Development for Latin America, and Ard Crebas as the new Head of Business Development for North America and the Caribbean.
Fastest growing modern-day learning management system, Thrive Learning, has announced a number of new appointments within the team as part of their ambitious growth plans.
Ai Build, the Additive Manufacturing (AM, also known as 3D printing) software company, has raised a Series A round of $8.5 million led by IQ Capital.
The Board of Arbuthnot Banking Group PLC ("Arbuthnot", the "Company" or the "Group") provides the following update regarding the trading performance of the Group for the three months to 30 September 2023.
The partnership enables service providers worldwide to access the UK network footprint with location-based intelligence and automated and standardised quoting.
Bitcoin, the digital currency conceived in 2009 by the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto, is a financial phenomenon. Despite the volatility of global markets, it has demonstrated remarkable resilience.