Tom Charman is a “studentrepreneur,” an EO Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) finalist in 2016 and co-founder and CEO of KOMPAS, a city exploration application helping people discover amazing but little-known adventures hidden in the world’s urban jungles. He’s been previously featured in Octane, writing about the value of mentorship and apps that can make life easier. We asked Tom about his experiences and inspirations. 

You were an EO GSEA Global Finalist in 2016. In June 2017, you won Visa’s Everywhere Initiative. How did your GSEA experience impact you?

My GSEA experience provided the opportunity to refine my pitch and really understand what problems and cultural challenges people face when exploring cities. KOMPAS aims to help people explore the city where they live or are visiting, and integrate with people of all backgrounds and cultures. Being a part of GSEA helped my company hone and develop its existing offering. As a result, we were selected to represent the U.K. at the world finals of the University Startup World Cup and Digital DNA. All of these pitches combined made our pitch to Visa well-practiced, precise and clear.