Máté is currently a PhD student at the Institute of Pharmaceutical Administration at Semmelweis University. He graduated in Pharmacy (MSc) from Semmelweis University, Budapest; and in International Relations (BA) from Corvinus University of Budapest. He studied business innovation & entrepreneurship at Imperial College London, TU Munich and TU Berlin and international relations at Sorbonne III Paris. He participated in The Journey in 2014, where he worked on itcha! living space is a web-platform that offers quality furnishing via a rental model with his team.
Which countries did you visit throughout The Journey?
Munich (Germany), London (UK)
What project did you work on? (Please describe it in a couple of sentences)
itcha! living space is a web-platform that offers quality furnishing via a rental model. Our value proposition is providing access to a market that otherwise could not afford quality products whilst also reducing the environmental impact of our stock by extending their life-cycle. A key dimension of our service is the convenience of a turn-key solution giving our customers access to a wide range of high quality furniture and the flexibility to upgrade or refresh their furnishing as and when their tastes change without a significant upfront capital investment.
What was the most interesting thing about the teamwork in an international team?
I learned how to work in a multicultural team, how to leverage different mindsets and how to make the most out of different skills and ideas.
What was the biggest challenge in The Journey?
To familiarise with other ideas and work with very different people – and to learn what collegial terms mean.
What did you like most about The Journey?
To learn how to shape ideas whilst doing – no one actually knew the answers but finally we managed to get something out of it (by iteration and continuous feedback).
What were your most valuable takeaways from The Journey?
- Team work and ideas first
- Iteration and refining your research question second
- and have fun in the meantime!
What would you recommend to future Journey participants?
Certainly, it’s a very good opportunity to get genuine inputs from peers, learn about cutting edge technologies and travel Europe for 5 weeks. This is a perfect combination of holidays in an international atmosphere and hands-on green science.