What happens when two passionate urban mobility enthusiasts meet in a challenge-driven innovation class? For **[Katarzyna Sowinska](www.linkedin.com/in/katarzyna-sowinska-55924a118)** and **[Henry Costas](https://www.linkedin.com/in/henryacostac/)**, who met on the benches of the **[EIT Urban Mobility Master School](https://shorturl.at/TkD41)**, it led to the creation of a mobility startup that is reshaping transportation solutions. In 2021, they founded **[Your Way Home](https://yourwayhome.eu)**, a startup focused on getting its users home safely. It was a leap into entrepreneurship that took them from navigating the complexities of startup life to leveraging EIT Urban Mobility master’s program, network and resources. Their journey has been a blend of challenges, growth, and breakthrough moments. In this interview, they share what inspired them to dive into urban mobility, the defining moments that shaped their path, and the lessons they’ve learned along the way.
# Journey into Urban Mobility
**Can you tell us about your journey into urban mobility and sustainable cities? What inspired you to pursue this field?**
*Henry*: I was always a transportation nerd growing up. Be it airlines, trains, bike infrastructure, or public transport, I always found it fascinating to see how people move, and especially, how big numbers of people move efficiently.
*Kat*: Growing up in a small village, I was always fascinated by how cities operate, especially their complex systems like transportation. This curiosity shaped my education and career path focused on urban structures, transportation, and mobility data science.
# Defining Moments
**What has been the most defining moment or experience in shaping your career so far?**
*Henry*: Starting my company within transportation along with my co-founder, has been an emotional journey filled with learning curves that renew every year, month, day, and sometimes, even hour.
*Kat*: After earning my bachelor's degree, I joined a tech startup, drawn to its culture, fast pace, and opportunities for growth and learning. Giving up that job to pursue my master's at [EIT Urban Mobility Master School](https://shorturl.at/TkD41) left me convinced I want more of these experiences—and that eventually I want to create something similar myself. I love the creating process that allows you to reach beyond your skills and work with exceptional people inspiring you to keep going.
{{Pic1: Katarzyna and Henry working together from KTH Innovation, Stockholm, 2024.}}
**Were there specific challenges you faced, and how did you overcome them?**
*Henry&Kat*: Building a startup is a challenge of its kind. The amount of rejection and scarcity of resources makes it difficult to push forward, but it also makes you very creative. You see your peers starting decent jobs and you still wait for your first sale. This and pivoting, while being a digital nomad tests your patience to its limits.
Building an international team is both a blessing and a curse. When founders move from one place to another without a permanent base or visa, it is difficult to nurture professional connections with investors, business partners, or team members. The on-the-go life makes building a company much more expensive and less sustainable, but also so much fun. The diversity of backgrounds and perspectives is in Your Way Home’s DNA. With the right team and the support of the network, nothing is impossible.
{{Pic2: Your Way Home Team’s reunion in December 2024. People from right to left: Maitreyee Rele, Katerina Vasileiadou, Moysis Papadopoulos, Katarzyna Sowinska, Namratha Bharadwaj.}}
# Impact of Learning
**How did the [EIT Urban Mobility Master’s program](https://shorturl.at/TkD41) contribute to your journey?**
*Henry&Kat*: The program gave us the most important thing in the company, the founding team. The stamp of EIT Urban Mobility has helped us open doors, and support from programs like StartForFuture and the Investment Readiness Program has pushed us further in the most critical moments.
EIT Urban Mobility contributed also financially to our first pilot making us understand the direction we should go or rather shouldn’t go even deeper. It also gave us access to top European universities. We especially value our connection to KTH Innovation which incubated us for a year reshaping Your Way Home to what it is today.
{{Pic3: Henry Acosta at a Pitching Session at Norrsken, Stockholm, 2025. Credits: Norrsken Foundation.}}
**Was there a particular project, class, or interaction during the program that stands out as impactful or memorable?**
*Henry*: Of course, the class in which I met my co-founder. We were randomly assigned as part of our first year in Barcelona in a challenge-driven innovation class, in which we started to build Your Way Home.
*Kat*: The breakthrough moment for me came when we began reaching out to business partners for collaboration on our first pilot, a requirement for one of our entrepreneurial courses in our first year at EIT Urban Mobility Master School. The strong interest from the industry was a turning point, making me truly believe that Your Way Home could succeed.
This collaboration led to a pilot with Dott in Italy. We had a chance to pitch our idea to the press and get feedback from industry leaders and politicians. We’ve learned our lesson and understood a pivot was necessary to take the company to the next level.
{{Pic4: First pilot with Dott, Milan, 2023. People from the right: Katarzyna Sowinska, Margherita Vanini, Diana de Marchi, Alice Radielle.}}
# Reflections and Advice
**What advice would you give to someone just starting out in this field or considering a similar program?**
*Kat&Henry*: Be critical of where you put your efforts. Take your time to reflect on what matters to you and focus on your priorities. If you are passionate about building solutions that make the world a better place from the perspective of transportation and urbanism, this is the program for you.
{{Pic5: Katarzyna and Henry preparing to meet beta users in Barcelona, in 2025.}}