Lucia is Acquired by Tern: The Behind-the-Scenes Story

11/06/2025 26 min Episodio 21

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Episode Synopsis

In this episode of Office Hours, Grace Van Hollebeke welcomes David Shull, CEO and co-founder of Tern, for a candid conversation about his journey from Michigan Tech to building a transformative travel technology platform. David shares how his early days at Handshake inspired his passion for creating impactful technology, and how a travel mishap in Greece sparked the idea for Tern.Grace and David discuss Tern’s recent acquisition of Lucia (Grace's company) and why pairing great technology with high-quality services is essential for empowering travel advisors. They also unpack the importance of choosing the right VC partners who share a vision for supporting, rather than displacing, travel advisors, which is a refreshing stance in the world of venture capital.Key moments include:David’s journey from Handshake to TernThe turning point that led to Lucia’s acquisitionThe role of technology and services in scaling travel advisors’ businessesHow Tern’s platform is designed to eliminate invisible workWhy their VC partners are committed to building with, not against, travel advisorsIf you’re a travel advisor or agency owner looking to supercharge your business, or simply curious about the intersection of technology and human-driven industries, this episode is a must-listen.Connect with Grace on ⁠Instagram⁠ or ⁠LinkedIn⁠ for more.Follow Along:David ShullTern’s Flight Path podcast

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