🚀 Valpas lands 4m EUR to expand its affiliation of bed bug safe hotels worldwide 🚀 Read more
We exist to enable every traveler to enjoy the living world with confidence.
We think the world would be a better place if we could experience the diversity of the living world with confidence and joy. We are on a mission to empower 1000 hoteliers and hosts to provide a safe, seamless and sustainable stay for every guest in the next two years. We envision a future in which every traveler explores the living world with more pleasure, and less waste.
Valpas is a story of how one trip gone wrong became a new design standard for hospitality. It started in 2013 after our cofounder Martim caught bedbugs while traveling and got frustrated with the waste and biodiversity loss pesticides create. Together with an interdisciplinary team that met at Aalto University in Helsinki, Finland, we set out on a mission to free travelers from bed bugs by empowering hotels with a solution — without using pesticides or creating waste. Today, hundreds of some of the most caring hoteliers have joined the Valpas member community and together this fast-growing and diverse group advances a future in which every traveler can explore the living world with more pleasure, and less waste.
Values we live by
Respect.
We believe that our best work is done in an environment of trust, where every one of us is safe, empowered and appreciated for their unique qualities. Whatever our differences of opinions, perspectives or experience, we treat all of our people and customers with the kindness and kudos they deserve. We always assume people act with the best intentions in mind but are ready to question behaviors that conflict with our values.
Be a learner.
We believe that the best products are built by teams of diverse and curious people who are willing to teach and be taught. We listen actively and question astutely so we build a deeper understanding of each other, our viewpoints and our challenges in order to improve across every dimension. We continuously create experiments to test high-risk, high-impact ideas and recognise every success or failure as an opportunity to grow.
Open up.
We believe that by being open about ourselves and receptive to new ideas we make better decisions and bigger breakthroughs. We speak transparently and truthfully about our failures and successes without hidden agendas or ulterior motives, we’re comfortable with uncomfortable conversations. We always share well-intentioned, well constructed and well-timed feedback.
Put your heart into it.
We act with audacity and assurance, applying our best judgment, even when our information and environment is ambiguous or uncertain. We are proactively looking to advance or enhance what we’re doing, so we always speak up at the right time and step up to the challenge at hand. We encourage everyone to have the heart, vulnerability and conviction to do the right thing, not the easy thing.
Bring the joy.
We believe that by bringing joy to our work, it will be reflected in our product and relationships, bringing pleasure and delight to life. We only have the here and now, so we always choose to appreciate the journey, even when we’re treading a difficult path or tackling a demanding obstacle. We find the greatest pleasure in creating new ways for people to explore and augment the diversity of the living world, by empowering our customers.