A new approach to incubating and accelerating business ideas in the travel industry.
BOSTON – Bill Watson and Gary Leopold have announced the formation of Venturism LLC, a business development firm that will invest in nurturing and accelerating ideas focused on serving the travel and hospitality industries. Venturism offers a unique approach with its very seasoned team.
According to the founder and managing partner Bill Watson, “Venturism is not like other incubation companies in the marketplace. It does not operate like a ‘boot camp’ nor do we provide one standard formula when dealing with clients. Ours is a unique, tailored approach where each client receives personal involvement with the principles.”
Watson and Leopold have extensive experience in leadership roles within the travel industry. Besides the group’s founder and managing partner, Bill Watson is also a senior partner/co-founder of the Prism Partnership and had previously served as COO and EVP for Best Western Hotels and vice-chairman of THISCO/Pegasus Systems. Gary Leopold, who is the group’s co-founder, also serves as the president and CEO of ISM/CP, a Boston-based, travel focused marketing firm that has worked with such clients as Emirates, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, and American Express, and prior to that, he was head of public relations for Sonesta International Hotels.
Venturism will use the talents of a select team of advisors, who will work with the firm to review and support new business concepts. Advisors include Denise Coll, who was previously president of Starwood, North America; Mark Lomanno, who was the president of Smith Travel Research (STR); and Cynthia Valles, who was an EVP at American Express and had previously run its Leisure Travel Group.
Venturism became a reality because many people and companies were already approaching the founders and advisors seeking their support and counsel on a multitude of new business ideas and concepts. With the creation of Venturism, there is now a more formal and structured way for these industry leaders to work together and involve themselves with these opportunities.
“Our leadership team and advisors are people Gary and I have worked with before with great success and they’ll partner alongside us to identify, shape and invest in those ideas we believe can be successful in the marketplace,” explained Watson.
Based in Boston, Venturism will pursue opportunities that are national and global in scope. Among the companies already working with Venturism is HotelNeighborhood, which is a digital platform connecting hotel guests with trusted local services.
“Opportunities exist to enhance all aspects of the customer journey,” added Watson. “With its legacy business models and systems, massive scale, global customer base and growing dependency on technology, we feel the travel category is fertile ground for innovation.”
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
