THIS IS WHERE IT BEGINS… MEET LEADING PLAYERS OF THE TOURISM INDUSTRY AND TAKE YOUR STARTUP FROM LISBON TO THE WORLD.

The Journey is a 5-month program for startups to pilot innovative solutions that can be applied in addressing travel and tourism players’ challenges. We believe in those who look at the world and see it differently. The journey is long but we’re here to push you through it, and we’re in it for the long-run.

THE CHALLENGES

WE ARE LOOKING FOR SOLUTIONS WITHIN THE FOLLOWING VERTICALS:

HOSPITALITY

TRAVEL (AGENCY) SERVICES

TOURS & ACTIVITIES

AIR & GROUND TRANSPORTATION

PERSONALIZE THE CUSTOMER JOURNEY

Leveraging Big Data sources and use of Predictive Analytics (Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Natural Language Processing).

SEAMLESS TRAVEL EXPERIENCE

Reducing points of friction (p.e. check-in) and the use of Blockchain for payments, loyalty, supply chain and contracts.

CUSTOMER CARE

Mobile strategy using multiplatform interactions to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty.

CONSCIOUS TRAVEL

Solutions to position The Journey partners as key actors for the sustainability of destinations.

INDICATIVE MARKET SEGMENTS TO TARGET

MILLENNIAL-FOCUSED APPROACHES
MULTIGENERATIONAL TRAVEL
“BLEISURE” FACILITATION
HEALTH & WELLNESS WHILE TRAVELING

“Participating on The Journey was an excellent experience for us. Not only we learned a lot about the tourism vertical, but we also had the opportunity to interview the program partners, understand their needs and formulate a solution that helps them. With this process, we got Barraqueiro and Pestana Hotels as clients during the program and we’ve developed two pilot-trials for our product. Team Beta-i was extraordinary when it came to guidance, help, mentoring, workshops and everything else that was a part of The Journey program and beyond it! Participating and being a part of the program was a real advantage for us.”

Rui Guedes, Founder / CEO @ Ground Control

PROGRAM TIMELINE

APPLICATIONS

APRIL 30 – JUNE 15

It all starts with your online application and at each phase, we will assess the fit between the startups and the program in order to invite those that can clearly benefit the most from collaborating with The Journey Partners. The top 40 scores will enter into a remote pitch session and the best 20 startups will move forward.

We’ll be looking for:

  • Match between startups solutions and Partners needs;
  • How the Partners can provide and retrieve value;
  • Product readiness for pilot development;
  • How solid the business model is;
  • Growth potential and scalability;
  • The complementarity of skills within the team;
  • How the product delivers value;
BOOTCAMP PREP
JULY 9 – SEPTEMBER 7
Corporate and startup pre-match for both parties to take the most out of the Bootcamp. Traveling arrangements.
BOOTCAMP
SEPTEMBER 10 – SEPTEMBER 13
The Top 20 startups will be invited to join the one-week Bootcamp benefiting from learning about business model innovation, startup methodologies and tools, get additional product validation, define the value proposition and a business case to present to the Partners. The best startups will have the opportunity to work together with one or more Partners in developing a pilot.
PILOTING
SEPTEMBER 17 – NOVEMBER 20
The 10 selected startups that are going to be part of the accelerator will enjoy 8 weeks of close collaboration with the Partners. These startups will also benefit from the access to Partner’s collaborators and mentors in the program, together with Beta-i’s network.
DEMO DAY
NOVEMBER 20 (TBC)
This is D Day. All the finalist startups will be presenting their solutions. It will be a public event where you will find potential investors, media, Partners and Beta-i representatives, among other invited guests from the tourism industry.

2018 BOOTCAMP STARTUPS

aPieceOf.Me

A platform to find unique souvenirs and sustain local commerce and trades

Portugal

www.apieceof.me

Bookboost AB

Bookboost enables hotels to build guest relations through messaging

Sweden

www.bookboost.io

City Check

Location-based game app development

Portugal

citycheckapp.com

Convious

Convious is the solution to sell more at your own website

Netherlands

www.convious.com

Destygo

All-in-one Chatbot technology for travel companies

France

www.destygo.com

GoWifi

Monetizing free wi-fi with data analytics and marketing tools

Portugal

business.gowi-fi.pto

Helppier

Walkthrough service to create interactive tutorials and tooltips in seconds

Portugal

www.helppier.com

Hopstay

We build AI-driven destination concierges for cities

France

www.hopstay.co

igloohome pte ltd

We help people manage their properties through innovative technologies

Singapore

www.igloohome.co

Live Electric Tours

We are a self-drive experience in 100% electric vehicles for tourists

Portugal

liveelectrictours.com

Omikuji

SaaS and consulting services for Big Data, Data Gov & Data Science Solutions

Colombia

www.omikuji.co

personal2travel

Help travel companies to know travelers creating personalized relationship

Brazil

personal2travel.com

Robot4Work Robotic Services

Robot4Work is upgrading manpower with robopower

Germany

robot4work.com

SocialCxN

An automated Influencer Marketing Platform disrupting a fragmented industry

United States

www.socialcxn.com

Sujester

We provide personalised travel inspiration to plan long term travel futures

United Kingdom

www.sujester.com

Timescenery

All-in-One Trip Planner and Social Marketplace of Trip Scenarios (B2B2C)

United Kingdom

time.sc

Venture with Impact

A Workation Program with Social Impact

United States

venturewithimpact.org

Wall-I.TV

Segmented DOOH advertising

Portugal

wall-i.tv

Waylo

The first Hotel Price Prediction App

United States

thewaylo.com

WeTravel Inc

Payment Platform for Travel

United States

www.wetravel.com

“As the most innovative Travel Agency in Portugal, GeoStar is joining the beta-i program The Journey to co-create within the startup ecosystem. We are excited about what we will learn from beta-i and the selected startups but also with so much we have to share and offer.
We are all set to absorb as many interesting pilots as we can – come and challenge us on The Journey.”

Mário Pires, Head of Business Development & Innovation @ GeoStar

WHO IS BACKING ME UP?

6 of the leading players of the tourism industry, and one of the best and most active startup organizations in Europe.

MAIN PARTNER
PARTNERS

Ready to partner with startups for pilot development.

TECH | DATA PARTNER

Provides big data, tech support and mentorship.

TECH | DATA PARTNER

“Azores Airlines and SATA Air Azores, part of the SATA Group are very excited to be part of the beta-I Tourism Journey. As the oldest airline in Portugal, we are very keen to explore new ideas on how we can work with Start-up´s to assist us with the development of enhanced customer experiences, and, look at new and innovative ways to build new thinking to our day to day airline operations. 2018 sees the airline bring to fruition new and innovative aircraft to the fleet, and, with the Journey, we now have the opportunity to look at new ways to ensure these planes build enhanced success. Our key mission to our passengers is “Welcome Aboard”; thus, we now hold out such a statement to key partners to join us on this innovative journey. Let´s fly together…”

Gavin Eccles, Chief Commercial Officer @ SATA

MENTORS

Sérgio Guerreiro
Director @ Turismo de Portugal

Teresa Ferreira
Director @ Turismo de Portugal

Cristina Salsinha
Project Manager @ Turismo de Portugal

Pedro Neto
General Manager @ Barraqueiro

João Costa
Brand Manager @ Barraqueiro

Tânia Areias
Digital Marketing Consultant @ Barraqueiro

Hugo Carreira
Tour Assistant/Representative @ Barraqueiro

Mário Pires
Head of Innovation @ GeoStar

Valter Duarte
Innovation Manager @ GeoStar

Gonçalo Cintrão
Web Channels Manager @ GeoStar

Domingos Felício
Quality Director @ GeoStar

João Ricardo Moreira
Board Member @ NOS

Maria João Cardoso
Corporate @ NOS

Paula Esteves
Corporate @ NOS

João Machado
Board Member @ Pestana

António Vargas
Project Manager @ Pestana

André Vala
IT Deputy Director @ Pestana

Luís Monteiro
Board Member @ Pestana

Gavin Eccles
Chief Commercial Officer @ SATA

Isabel Barata
Board Member @ SATA

Paulo Ornelas
IT Director @ SATA

Manuel Tânger
Board Member @ Beta-i

António Carvalho
Program Director @ Beta-i

Patrícia Almeida
Program Assistant @ Beta-i

The Journey was a great way for us to connect with Barraqueiro / Cityrama, a big player in the Portuguese tourism industry. Following the 3-month pilot we set up during the program, we managed to extend this into a commercial partnership. This is helping us grow our venture and has shown us a new avenue for scaling up across Europe! The network we gained through The Journey/Beta-i as well as through our work with Cityrama (which is part of Grayline globally) has been really valuable.”

Wendy, Secret City Trails