Experiences and Lessons from Entrepreneur in Residence Grace Van Hollebeke ’19

The Leland C. and Mary M. Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship (PIHE) hosted Grace Van Hollebeke ’19 (CALS) as she shared experiences and lessons from her time at Cornell and from beginning her travel and hospitality business, Lucia. Van Hollebeke began her time in the luxury travel industry by starting a company called TripKit. After successfully exiting in 2022, she started Lucia, which connects luxury travel companies with freelancers she calls “copilots.” Lucia was not only a solution to the labor shortage in the hospitality industry, but a way to empower self-employed individuals to connect with luxury travel.

As a PIHE entrepreneur in residence, Van Hollebeke visits campus each semester, meeting with students and providing entrepreneurial insights and guidance. During her recent visit, she also participated in a coffee chat, a business plan competition session, and a consulting club discussion. She also judged student presentations in the Communication for Entrepreneurs course and visited Corporate Communication classes to discuss the importance of communicating effectively.

Van Hollebeke answered questions about her experiences as an entrepreneur.

Seeing a need and answering it

When a student asked what inspired her to start Lucia, Van Hollebeke explained that in her time as a travel agent, she witnessed the effects of a labor shortage in the luxury industry. Lucia developed from wanting to solve the problem rather than just come up with ideas. She wanted to connect freelance workers—copilots—in a gig economy-style business that allowed them to maintain autonomy.

Mastering a message

Asked about the challenges of starting up, Van Hollebeke said she had to learn how to effectively communicate with suppliers and customers, describe Lucia concisely, and pitch the company in a compelling way. The differentiator, she said, was learning how to elicit a sense of trust from her clients.

Collaboration, not hierarchy

Asked about the “copilot” strategy, Van Hollebeke said she saw great value in the freelance workers’ business expertise and industry experience. This shaped the business as a collaboration rather than a hierarchy. The copilots create their own clients and business using Lucia, and Lucia acts as the facilitator.

Communication supports the brand

Asked how she leverages communication to meet her branding goals, Van Hollebeke shared that she aims to communicate beyond stakeholders. She leans into her story as Lucia’s founder to build goodwill and brand trust. In her email campaigns and communications, she tailors the message to the audience.

‘Build for tolerance for risk’

When asked for guidance on taking risks, Van Hollebeke advised the students, “Build for tolerance for risk; when you fall, it’s not that bad. Do it when you are closer to the ground. Nothing will teach you about entrepreneurship except actually doing it.”

About the authors

Christina McDowell is a senior lecturer of marketing and management communication at the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration, part of the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business. Her academic experience includes teaching communication and marketing-related courses since 2006 and serving in academic administration roles, including as an associate dean specializing in academic program planning, internal and external communication, college-level strategic planning, assessment (AACSB and regional accreditations), project management, recruitment and retention, and outreach. She teaches courses in business writing, persuasive communication, corporate communication, as well as serves as a faculty advisor for community-engaged learning projects.

Amelia Okulewicz ’26 plans to study law after graduating from the Nolan School of Hotel Administration. In the Nolan School, she is involved in the American Hotel and Lodging Association student chapter, the Communication Center, the Hotel Student Mentorship Program, and the Dean’s Student Advisory Board. She is also a course assistant for Business Writing for Hospitality Professionals and Corporate Communication. In her free time, she enjoys dancing and cooking.

Learn more about the Entrepreneurs in Residence program.