Stephan Ekbergh

Early life and career

Ekbergh was born in Skane, Sweden in 1960. At age 18, he left school to start his first business, hiring out DJs and promoting rock music clubs in Malmo, Sweden. Music was his main source of income until 1988. Ekbergh soon branched out into various industries ranging from video stores, to second hand clothes, to selling used industrial equipment to the Middle East. In 1989 Ekbergh started his first travel venture, International Tours, the company redefined sales of consolidator tickets to the travel trade in the Scandinavian market. The company was later sold to a real estate group.

Business exploits in online travel

In 1995, Ekbergh started a fully automated, telephone-based travel booking company called Sistaminutenplatser. The system utilised dual-tone multi-frequency signaling (DTMF) that was unique at the time.

After the launch of version 1.0 of Netscape Navigator at the beginning of 1995, Ekbergh quickly realised that it would be possible to book and pay for travel on the Internet. In 1998 Ekbergh launched Sweden's first online travel agency, Mr. Jet.

After being fired from Mr. Jet just a year after he founded it, Ekbergh set up Travelstart in 1999. Shortly afterwards, he sold his interests in Travelstart for a reported $9.8M.

Ekbergh bought back Travelstart in 2001 after the internet bubble burst.

In early 2010 Ekbergh sold the entire European arm of his business so that he could shift his focus to emerging markets in Africa, a continent he felt had been neglected by other major players.

Ekbergh has over the past years been active in expanding his business organically and through acquisitions. He acquired around 60% of Openjet.com, one of the world's first travel websites allowing people to search and book for low cost airline flights in 2004. He also acquired Luftgrop Scandinavias first travel comparison shopping agent.

After relocating to Cape Town in late 2004, Ekbergh formed a small design consultancy called Irrational Studios. The company was formed in order to oversee the re-branding of Travelstart internationally, and the development of the brand in South Africa. The South African branch of Travelstart was launched in August 2006

In 2006 Ekbergh's Group also acquired Scandinavia's online hangout for vivid travellers called Backpacking.se.

Ekbergh is currently an investor and a member of the Advisory board of Everbread, a travel technology start-up.

He has expanded Travelstart to include South Africa, Namibia, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria and Turkey as well as providing travel affiliate network solutions in all markets. Travelstart Egypt will launch in early 2013.

Media

Ekbergh's often controversial approach to travel industry norms has resulted in much attention in South African media in recent years. In 2009 he urged travel, tourism and hospitality providers in South Africa to become more transparent in the way they publish prices in online media and print advertising.

Prior to the 2010 FIFA World Cup Ekbergh made a public call to South African travel, tourism and hospitality providers to avoid hiking prices to take advantage of the influx of tourists.

Personal life

Ekbergh writes about entrepreneurship and the industry as a hobby and he is a regular speaker on the travel industry circuit and in schools in South Africa. He has lived in Llandudno Cape Town with his wife Annette and their four children since 2004.

He is an advocate for education and is a supporter of the Thembalitsha Foundation - a non-profit organization in the Western Cape.