• TechCrunch
• CrunchBase
• More
  • TechCrunch Europe
  • TechCrunch France
  • TechCrunch Japan

Blue Badge Style

edit

Blue Badge Style (BBS) is a guide aimed at those who are ‘less able’ bodied, yet still discerning in their lifestyle.

At the company’s core value is ‘freedom shared’, achieved by providing information on ‘stylish’, trendy places to go, things to do and goods to purchase. Their emphasis is on style, enjoying life and inclusion. It is a guide where, founder Fiona Jarvis says ‘style and disability are not mutually exclusive; you can have both’.

They are the only such guide that has an emphasis on style and as such taps into the ‘disability’ market which currently has an annual spend of £80bn in the UK and a global population of 1Bn+. Their reach is at present greater than any of their competitors.

They have a unique rating system for venues and equipment which is an accreditation of a maximum of 3 BBS Ticks, similar to a Michelin Star.

They have two products: 1. PAD’s - Pictorial Access Descriptions for venues that wish to promote their ‘less able’ facilities and attain the maximum 3 BBS Ticks. These are unique and appear as a social media button on a venue’s website. They show a journey through the venue from the point of view of a less able “customer” rather than a just a compliance statement. They are hosted on the BBS website

1. A Mobile App that finds stylish and BBS accredited venues near your location and identifies if they are accessible and have disabled facilities. It shows the BBS Rating and a review of the venue. There is also the facility for users to add their own review.

BBS currently covers the Uk & parts of Europe, they are looking for further investment to expand their reach globally. A scaleable enterprise as revenue will increase but central costs will remain low as they recruit reviewers & Pictures for the PAD’s, from their social network and from venues themselves. In addition they would like to further develop their Mobile App using the latest in ‘inclusive’ technology. It is currently available on iPhone, iPad, Android and Blackberry and was jointly developed with UCL and Stuxbot. With further development the App will become chargeable.

Recent Milestones

edit

• 
  Blue Badge Style received $63.8k (£40k) in Angel funding. (9/8/12)
  Posted 9/8/12 at 4:52am
• 
  Blue Badge Style added Kate Warwick as PR Director. (8/1/12)
  Posted 9/8/12 at 4:52am
• 
  Blue Badge Style added Amanda Langford as Marketing Director. (4/1/12)
  Posted 5/15/13 at 6:56am
• 
  Blue Badge Style added fiona jarvis as Founder, Chairman. (3/1/08)
  Posted 9/8/12 at 4:52am

Videos

Screenshots

edit

Above: App Detail Screen
Uploaded: 1/27/13

Sources

1. Citation Needed [add]