Beeyonder — Bringing The World Home

A platform that provides the ultimate equal access to travel through virtual experiences

Stephen Braunewell
Storied
Published in
3 min readMay 12, 2021

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The Problem

There are more than 40M people in the U.S. alone that have disabilities and other conditions that prevent or inhibit their ability to travel. This includes not only those in wheelchairs, but the elderly, those with immunodeficiency disorders, those that are hospital/homebound, those with a fear of flying, people on parole, and more. Millions more want to give loved ones international experiences, but cannot afford the financial burden.

What The Company Does

Beeyonder is a marketplace for live and interactive virtual travel experiences, hosted by fun and qualified guides from all over the world. Experiences can be taken as part of a group with others, or privately for a certain set of people. They are conducted via conferencing platforms like Zoom, allowing two-way audio and visual capabilities. Beeyonder is going to be leveraging new technologies and will bring more live experiences from remote locations. In addition, Beeyonder is working on a new part of the platform for authentic and multi-sensory pre-recorded experiences for those that may not be able to participate in live and interactive experiences.

Market

The travel and tourism industry is massive, with an average market size of about $1.6T globally. Beeyonder considers its competitors to be Airbnb, Amazon Explore, Viator — however, they do not consider these companies to be direct competitors because their target market is completely different. Beeyonder services a part of the population that is largely ignored and forgotten about. These people will still not be able to travel even after the pandemic subsides.

Business Model

Beeyonder generates revenue by taking a commission from every booking made for live and interactive experiences, and will take a larger commission for every subscription/purchase for pre-recorded experiences. They will eventually do some of their own live and prerecorded experiences, which will allow them to increase revenue further.

Traction

Since launch in December 2020, the team has provided tours to approximately 900 people. They are in the midst of establishing a pilot program for senior living facilities and are also in discussions with several companies in the senior health space and financial advising space about partnership opportunities. In addition, they are a part of the AARP Innovation Labs.

Founding Team Background

Brittany Palmer, J.D., is the founder and CEO of Beeyonder. She has a passion for traveling and conducting research for trips, having been to countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, South America, and the Middle East. As a bilateral amputee, Brittany has overcome many challenges and looks forward to helping others overcome challenges to in-person traveling. She envisions a world where adults and children can travel the world from home — meeting, interacting with, and learning from people all over the world. She also has a significant amount of international law experience, having worked with over 100 jurisdictions around the world and developed relationships in a number of countries to assist her Fortune 500 clients.

The Ask

Beeyonder is in growth mode and is looking for intros to investors, senior facilities, rehab centers, hospitals, and companies that may benefit from using it as an add-on or gamification option to their product or service. Connect With The Beeyonder Team.

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Storied
Storied

Published in Storied

The storytelling platform fueling the next generation of founders in New England.

Stephen Braunewell
Stephen Braunewell

Written by Stephen Braunewell

Life Science professional that is passionate about healthcare, biotech, and New England startup ecosystem.

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