Heygo

Heygo

closed

Real-time, bite-sized and interactive video streams from our local experts around the world.

HQ location
London, United Kingdom
Website
Launch date
Employees
Enterprise value
$120m
Company register number
Notes (0)
More about Heygo
Made with AI
Edit

Heygo was a London-based travel technology company that operated a live-streaming platform for virtual tours. Founded in 2020 by university friends John Tertan and Liam Garrison, the company emerged during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially named Virtualtrips, its first tour was a live-streamed walk around London's Bankside in June 2020, offering an escape for people confined by lockdowns.

The platform enabled users to join live, interactive tours led by guides from around the world, free of charge. Its business model was centered on a tip-based revenue system, where viewers could voluntarily tip the guides. Heygo would retain a 40% commission on these tips, with the remaining 60% going to the guide. The service was designed for a global, English-speaking audience and featured interactive elements such as live chat, an on-screen map, and the ability to take digital "postcards" of the tour. By March 2021, after receiving 100,000 user reviews, the company rebranded from Virtualtrips to Heygo.

Riding the wave of demand for at-home experiences, Heygo achieved significant growth, hitting two million bookings by early 2022. This momentum attracted substantial investor interest, culminating in a $20 million Series A funding round in February 2022, led by Northzone. However, as global travel restrictions eased and in-person tourism resumed, the demand for virtual tours declined significantly. The company found it challenging to make its tip-based model financially viable in a post-pandemic world, facing competition from established players like Airbnb Experiences and Viator. Despite experiments with other monetization strategies, such as monthly subscriptions, a sustainable growth model was not achieved. After efforts to sell the company were unsuccessful, Heygo announced its closure and ceased operations on April 11, 2023.

Keywords: Heygo, virtual travel, live-streaming tours, travel tech, John Tertan, Liam Garrison, Virtualtrips, online tours, interactive travel, travel platform, pandemic startup, tip-based model, Northzone, travel technology shutdown, live guided tours, digital postcards, remote travel experiences, global tour guides, London startup, virtual tourism

Analytics
Unlock the full power of analytics with a premium account
Track company size and historic growth
Track team composition and strength
Track website visits and app downloads