Alumni Profile: A Female-Founded Sustainable Travel Business - How HEC prepared me for life as an Entrepreneur

HEC Paris MBA grad Hilary Matson, founder of Yugen Earthside, shares her journey into sustainable travel entrepreneurship. Discover how HEC’s Entrepreneurship Specialization and emphasis on sustainability prepared her for success. From Holi celebrations to global networking, her MBA experience paved the way for impactful ventures. 

HEC Paris MBA Alumna Hilary Matson is the solo female founder of Yugen Earthside, a company dedicated to sustainable travel. We caught up with her to see how her experience at HEC supported her venture into entrepreneurship.

Class of 2020! What was the biggest factor in your choice to do your MBA at HEC Paris?

There were two main factors. First, the option of completing the Entrepreneurship Specialization. The customization portion of HEC’s MBA program is really unique. I pursued an MBA to gain a particular skill set that would help me launch my company, and to come away with a top-tier degree (in case I chickened out about launching my company!). The second main factor was HEC’s focus on sustainability. To me, that was an important element, and I’m happy to say that the concept and values of sustainability really did trickle down throughout my experience – from coursework, to clubs, and more.  

Which clubs did you join during the MBA and did your participation influence your future career?

I participated the most heavily in the Women in Leadership Club, serving as its President for my batch. It did influence my career in terms of strengthening my organizational and management skills, as well as increasing my comfort with public speaking.

You did the Entrepreneurship Specialization: how would you say it prepared you for life as an Entrepreneur?

The Entrepreneurship Specialization provided me with a foundational framework with which to think about creating and running a business. It covers the theoretical elements of starting a business – from tax considerations to what type of CEO you want to be. It also gave us practical tools and experience with creating and presenting a pitch deck.

One of the most special things about attending HEC is that you are surrounded by a global community where you have lots of opportunities to partake in cultural events (and meals) to really learn about your peers.
 

What is a fond HEC Paris MBA memory?

We had a massive celebration for Holi, the Hindu festival of color, love, and spring! Everybody wore a white T shirt, and we sprayed each other with so many different colors! One of the most special things about attending HEC is that you are surrounded by a global community where you have lots of opportunities to partake in cultural events (and meals) to really learn about your peers.

What advice do you have for future applicants to the HEC Paris MBA?

I have three pieces of advice that really helped me.

1. Be clear on why YOU want to go and what you want to specifically get out of your MBA. 
2. Be open to changing your mind – don’t close yourself off to new paths and ideas just because you have a predetermined idea of what you want your MBA experience to be.
3. Don’t be afraid to forge your own path – it’s OK if you want to pursue something other than Finance, Consulting, and Big Tech! 

Without further ado: tell us the origin story of your company Yugen Earthside! What is your mission and what does Yugen mean?

Yugen Earthside sells responsible package trips on our website, which is a curated sustainable travel marketplace. Our mission is to make sustainable travel easy – and that means everything from helping mindful travelers to discover and book trips to providing them with holistic guidance on responsible travel.

“Yugen” is a Japanese word that means “An awareness of the universe that triggers an emotional response that is too deep and powerful for words.” It’s how traveling makes me feel, and how I hope it makes our clients feel!

What does Sustainable Travel and Tourism mean to you? Is it possible? How does it work?

Sustainable travel is really about three things:

1. Being kind to the environment.
2. Supporting your destination’s economy.
3. Respecting and appreciating local societies and cultures.

We go into depth on each of these, and what specific actions travelers can take, in our Sustainable Travel 101 blog post on the website.

Yes – I wholeheartedly believe sustainable travel is possible. When it comes down to it, humans are curious adventurers, and we will never stop exploring. What Yugen Earthside works toward is helping people have these adventures in the most responsible way possible. We also work hard to inform and educate about what sustainable tourism looks like beyond the obvious environmental factors. The climate impact of travel is massive and essential to be aware of, but much more goes into being a responsible traveler.

What specific services do you offer?

Selling responsible package trips B2C is our primary service offering. Alongside that, we also:

• Offer free travel consultations to ensure our clients find the perfect trip.
• Automatically include carbon removals for each client who books with us.
• Advise on sustainable travel insurance, books, and products.
• Provide a wealth of information through our Blog and Resources page.
• Make adding carbon offsets to a trip as easy as ticking a box during checkout.

An exciting new element that we’ve just launched is our Responsible Corporate Travel service! We are now helping companies, professional associations, and affinity groups coordinate leadership retreats, team offsites, and incentive and reward trips leveraging our network of carefully vetted local partners.

The MBA equipped me with a reinforced resilience, and a strong network.

Your team is very international – reminds me of someplace… 

I think launching a travel business during Covid really emphasized the value of a remote, digital team. Being able to source talent from around the world is wonderful. We have people helping grow Yugen Earthside from Argentina to India! I’m quite used to working with those from other cultures and in different time zones – this was part of my corporate life before attending HEC – so for me, it feels natural to have colleagues sprinkled around the world.

The MBA equipped me with a reinforced resilience, and a strong network.

What has life as an entrepreneur been like so far and what tools did the MBA equip you with to handle any hiccups?

Life as an entrepreneur is crazy, fun, liberating, scary, exciting, stressful, challenging, sleepless, energizing, lonely… above all, I’d say it’s very rewarding. 

The MBA equipped me with a reinforced resilience, and a strong network. There are honestly always hiccups when you’re building a company, so it’s really about how you deal with them. Leveraging your community, knowing when to ask for help, and keeping in focus that with entrepreneurship – like in life, like at HEC – so much of it is what you make of it. You can be surrounded by all the resources in the world but you need to know how to tap into that. Ultimately, you’re the one responsible for making magic happen for yourself.

What are you most proud of as an entrepreneur?

Gosh – everything! There are not many female founders, and there are not many solo founders, and I still took the leap. I successfully moved Yugen Earthside from 0 to 1, from an idea to a business plan to a registered Social Purpose Corporation. I’m finding incredible locally owned tour operators around the world to join our platform, we’re connecting them to mindful travelers, and those travelers are leaving us heart-warming 5-star Google reviews. On top of that, as a Social Enterprise, it’s hugely rewarding to donate 1% of Gross Profits to sustainable travel initiatives and feel like we’re making a difference. 

What does the immediate future hold for Yugen Earthside?

We see the business model working, which is so cool! Now it’s time to scale – so our immediate future is focusing on two strategic initiatives:

1. Securing Angel investment funding.
2. Ramping up our B2B Responsible Corporate Travel service.

These initiatives will help us unlock growth, access more travelers, and amplify our positive impact within the travel and tourism industry.

To learn more about how to tailor your MBA experience at HEC, check out our seven specializations.

If you’re a prospective student, and would like to hear more about the application process, connect with us here and your dedicated Marketing and Recruitment Manager will get in touch.

To learn more about Yugen Earthside, check out their website!