Justine Palefsky, Co-Founder of Kindred, shares her journey from neuroscience to customer experience, emphasizing data-driven choices and the success of her 'give to get' business model. Topics include observation, anti-cash incentives, and advice for lost twentysomethings.
Justine Palefsky transitioned from neuroscience to customer experience, emphasizing the impact of pivotal career decisions.
Kindred's unique give-to-get model promotes trust and community through reciprocal home-sharing.
Kindred's membership policy focuses on generosity over money, creating personal connections and a unique lodging experience.
Deep dives
Creating a Space for Flexible Living
Kindred, a members-only home swapping network, was born out of the founders' need for flexible living arrangements during the pandemic. By facilitating home swaps, Kindred allows members to stay in each other's homes without the financial burden of renting accommodations, aiming to provide a more human and less transactional experience.
Building Trust and Community
Kindred's platform fosters a community based on trust and connection by employing a strict give-to-get model. Members must have their own homes on the platform before staying in others', ensuring a mutual and respectful environment. Connecting over shared interests and encouraging interactions, Kindred integrates trust-building measures like video chats to ensure a transparent and positive home-sharing experience.
Innovative Membership Model
Unlike traditional lodging platforms, Kindred operates on a membership model that focuses on reciprocity rather than monetary transactions. By offering a give-a-night-to-get-a-night policy, members can earn nights by hosting others, which they can later redeem for stays in other Kindred homes, maintaining a balance of trust and accountability within the community.
Elevating the Hospitality Experience
Kindred prioritizes fostering genuine connections and fostering a sense of gratitude and respect among its members. By shifting the focus from financial transactions to generous exchanges, the platform aims to create a more personalized, homey, and respectful hospitality experience that values the human element over monetary gain.
Empowering Shared Living Experiences
Through its unique approach to home swapping, Kindred empowers individuals to access a network of diverse and welcoming homes worldwide while cultivating meaningful connections within a community of like-minded individuals. By encouraging reciprocal generosity and creating a platform based on shared trust, Kindred aims to revolutionize the concept of flexible and collaborative living arrangements.
Justine is the co-founder and CEO of Kindred, where she focuses on customer experience and brand. Before founding Kindred, Justine was part of the early team at Opendoor where she launched several markets, developed the home Trade-Up product, and scaled the company’s unique Self-Tour program. With years of business experience in her back pocket, Justine is here to tell us all about it!
In this episode, the pair recall Justine’s journey from a neuroscience degree to a career centered in customer experience. Reflecting on the enlightening turning-points in her career path, Justine relates her data gathering mindset to her ability to make choices that change the trajectory of her life. Justine explains her journey to Kindred and highlights ideas and events that formed this successful “give to get” business. Conversations on watching the clock tick on, the importance of observation, and “anti-cash incentives” are just the beginning…
Twentysomethings, if you’re feeling lost and can’t determine the next right thing, this is the episode for you, get ready for this one-hour interview that will leave you hopeful for what’s to come with Justine Palefsky!
