Greenloons
Vienna, Virginia (Tysons Corner)
http://www.greenloons.com/
Number of Employees: 1
How did your company start?
Greenloons began with an idea to educate travelers about ecotourism and create an even playing field for all third-party certified green tour operators.
What is your elevator speech? We're growing to be the Travelocity of true green family travel (but much more user friendly!)
What technology issue or business problem is your company trying to solve?
The buzz words "eco" and "green" have unfortunately triggered travel suppliers to saturate the market with hundreds of loosely understood eco holiday-labeled travel products, causing consumer confusion as to what the term ecotourism really represents. Consumers want to make vacation purchasing decisions based on ethical standards for sustainability and conservation rather than marketing tactics, but up until now did not have the practical tools to help make those environmentally responsible choices. Greenloons has changed that.
Who are your primary customers? (Law firms, Fortune 500, government, etc.)
All vacation planners, primarily those who arrange family vacations.
What types of companies are you interested in partnering with?
Travel and tourism companies and green living companies.
How do you find your clients?
Greenloons finds its customers primarily through existing customer referrals as well as through Web searches and social media. Because I have so much useful content on the site about what constitutes true ecotourism as well as transparency about the different eco-certifications within the industry, people usually find Greenloons first through an article, travel tip or story and then explore the more than 1,000 tours listed on the site.
What is your latest achievement?
Greenloons was accepted as a member to the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, which serves as the international body for accrediting third-party certifications as well as promoting the increased knowledge, understanding and adoption of sustainable tourism practices. I will be serving on the International Standards Working Group and the Market Access Working Group.
Where do you want your company to be in five years?
In five years, I want all consumers to demand more environmental accountability of their travel suppliers (lodging, activities, transport, etc.) and for Greenloons to be within the top five websites for family vacation travel.
How has NVTC helped you succeed?
Besides the great networking opportunities, The Entrepreneurship Center @NVTC has been invaluable to me. Specifically, the SOLUTIONS program put me in touch with advisors that have been so helpful and if I can stay in town long enough, I really look forward to participating in the FastTrac® TechVenture™ program one day.
