The coronavirus pandemic has caused one of the most important economic crises in history. In this unprecedented context, Canadian entrepreneurs have once again shown their courage and ability to adapt. This year for BDC Small Business Week, we sat down with entrepreneurs in our ecosystem to learn about how their businesses have been impacted by COVID-19, how they’re pivoting for success, and how they’re building for the future in these uncertain times. Check out the full series here. The need for immersive and engaging virtual experiences has become increasingly necessary through COVID-19 realities. As the primary medium through which we interact on both personal and professional levels, virtual connections set the stage for many of our experiences. Co-Founder Andrew Klotz leads Beyond Media to help organizations in education, recreation, travel, and tourism launch innovative experiences that connect them with their audiences online.
"Throughout our journey, the support of ventureLAB Advisors and fellow entrepreneurs has challenged us to think big and to be focused on the critical priorities based on our growth stage," says Beyond Media Co-Founder Andrew Klotz.
Their SaaS platform Circuit Virtual Tours enables physical spaces to build and launch personalized virtual experiences. Today, Circuit Virtual Tours are in high demand as traditionally in-person touchpoints like campus walking tours and venue visits shift online. “COVID-19 challenged our customer onboarding process, making it difficult or impossible to perform on-site content creation,” says Klotz. In order to keep work going, they developed a shared production model that involves providing equipment and training to guide their customers' marketing teams through the production process. "Throughout our journey, the support of ventureLAB Advisors and fellow entrepreneurs has challenged us to think big and to be focused on the critical priorities based on our growth stage," says Klotz. “It's not easy to scale up a company. As a founder, you're trying to navigate a way forward without a roadmap in hand. You have an endless list of questions. One element that has dramatically helped us navigate the unknowns is being part of a community of like minded entrepreneurs and advisors. When we joined ventureLAB, we instantly benefited from the shared learnings and expertise of others. Our business wouldn't be in the fortunate place it is today if we weren't part of this ecosystem.”
The rapid migration to digital technologies driven by the pandemic will continue into the recovery.
Beyond Media serves a global customer base including top colleges and universities, retirement communities, and serviced offices. The rapid migration to digital technologies driven by the pandemic will continue into the recovery. Beyond Media’s client base continues to grow as companies strive to digitize parts of their business to serve customers facing mobility restrictions as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. Learn more about how Beyond Media is transforming virtual experiences on their website. Beyond Media is part of ventureLAB’s Accelerated Growth Program. ventureLAB is a leading technology hub located in Markham in York Region, Canada’s second largest tech cluster. Through programs focused on capital, talent, technology, and customers, ventureLAB has supported over 2,000 tech companies and entrepreneurs, including 100 companies that have raised over $115 million and created close to 4,000 jobs. Join us.
