Jan Dvorak

Jan Dvorak is an entrepreneur and writer based in Washington, D.C. He was born in Prague under Russian communist occupation. Jan was forced to escape to the U.S. when he was just 21 years old. He sought political asylum and gained his U.S. citizenship while building his own company with only a phone, a typewriter, and his determination. Travisa, a fortune 5000 company ranked by Inc. Magazine, provided expedited passports and visas for millions of U.S. travelers. In a few years he built a business empire in the travel space which culminated in a successful exit.

 

As a writer Jan penned several pointed political essays about the dangers of autocracies and his own struggle with stuttering. His memoir “Johny Goes to America” portrays a teenager’s life rebelling against Russian occupation in a dark and gray Prague. He illustrates the nuance of living in a totalitarian regime, a startling insight into how it would feel and look if a similar situation occurred here in the U.S. today.​​​