Spencer Fane recently announced the local developer of a social, online travel bookmarking and planning tool as the second entrant into the firm’s Startup Lab, an innovative program designed to help burgeoning businesses address legal needs and create meaningful business community relationships.
As part of the Startup Lab, TravelHive will work with Spencer Fane attorneys for a period of three months to address legal issues critical for startup companies. This will include work on contracts, privacy policies, and intellectual property.
TravelHive is a web-based application that allows travelers to save, categorize and share travel ideas, moving travelers through the complete journey in an effort to ease the stress of travel planning. By engaging travelers at the beginning of the process in the critical inspiration phase, TravelHive enters the process a step ahead of the competition and continues to engage travelers through their entire journey.
Initially, TravelHive plans to focus on partnerships with companies such as travel agencies and study abroad programs.
“TravelHive has a clear vision for not only its startup phase but also the plan to grow a user base by scaling investments,” said Spencer Fane attorney Carly Duvall, co-chair of the firm’s Startup Lab. “Travel tech is a growing industry, and we’re impressed with what appears to be a valuable product for the market.”
Jillian Carlile and Kim Naramore, founders of TravelHive, worked together for more than four years at a health-tech company that specializes in collecting and organizing large quantities of publicly available, disparate data – transforming it into a consumable collection for clients. TravelHive plans to do the same for travelers, who can create a profile, track travel ideas and research, and seamlessly move those saved items into collaborative, visual trip plans.
“As female founders, we are constantly reminded that we are in the minority,” Carlile and Naramore said. “The legal support and mentorship available through Startup Lab will be invaluable to our success. We are looking to launch the beta version of TravelHive and look forward to working with Spencer Fane as we develop our next round of funding and address key issues related to hiring employees, building business partnerships and protecting the intellectual property related to our product.”
For Startup Lab, Spencer Fane selects a startup company once every quarter to receive not only legal consultation but also assistance in mentoring and facilitating meaningful business connections. The program is currently limited to Kansas City but could expand to other cities where the firm currently has offices.
“We are pleased to add TravelHive to Startup Lab and recognize the unique opportunity we have to help Jillian and Kim grow a vision for their company,” said Spencer Fane attorney Patrick McAndrews, co-chair of the firm’s Startup Lab. “Kansas City’s business community continues to grow and include more diverse leadership teams, and this is a great opportunity to make meaningful introductions for a promising startup company.”
For more information about the Spencer Fane Startup Lab, please visit Startups and Emerging Companies and download the information packet at the bottom of the page. If interested in applying for the program, please complete the application and email it to Patrick McAndrews at pmcandrews@spencerfane.com or startuplab@spencerfane.com.
