Cardiff start-up founder meets Sir Richard Branson
10 October 2017
A Cardiff entrepreneur will meet business mogul Sir Richard Branson after winning £5,000 in a regional Virgin Media Business competition.
Daniel Swygart’s company TrekinHerd – a mobile app for backpackers and outdoor adventurers – took first prize in last week’s Cardiff leg of the Voom Tour 2017.
Dan will now meet the Virgin magnate for brunch in London this Thursday 12 October.
Originally from Llandegla, near Ruthin, Dan set up TrekinHerd whilst studying economics at Cardiff University. The app idea took shape when Dan realised he could not really share his adventures, easily search for new places to visit, or meet other people with similar interests.
TrekinHerd provides a social platform for outdoor adventurers and backpackers on a global scale, enabling users to emphasise their journey no matter where they are in the world.
Dan said: “It’s going to be an amazing experience to meet Sir Richard Branson. I didn't realise that the Virgin Media Voom Tour stage would be in public, with Cardiff shoppers stopping by to listen. It was easily one of the most terrifying moments I've encountered so far. I nailed my two-minute pitch word for word, and all of the questions asked, after dedicating four days to practising it..."
"To my shock, I won £5,000 and brunch with Sir Richard Branson. I also made a huge amount of contacts with entrepreneurs, investors, Cardiff Council and Welsh Government."
TrekinHerd enables users to write blogs, add pictures, videos, log their outdoor sporting achievements, and map out where they have been. It also enables users to easily meet and connect with nearby adventurers no matter where they are, and share experiences about new places to go.
The start-up ran focus groups with an audience of backpackers and outdoor adventurers at Cardiff University to ensure the apps features were uniquely tailored to the demands of the market.
Dan added: “TrekinHerd now has investment, is sponsored by Open Genius, will be on the Welsh ICE and E-Spark accelerator growth programmes, and won the Think Digital competition at Cardiff University. We now have a team of seven working towards the launch of our app.”
TrekinHerd has been developed by District5, a newly formed South Wales software development company. The app is due to be launched in November 2017 on iOS and Android.
