London-based Pluto, a startup that wants travelers to use
its app to organize itineraries, coordinate travel plans with others and buy
and manage travel insurance, has raised £200,000 on Seedrs, a crowdfunding platform.
Launched in 2018, Pluto has also become a B Corporation –
meaning it has been certified by the not-for-profit B Lab as a company that has
“met rigorous social and environmental standards which represent its commitment
to goals outside of shareholder profit.”
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Pluto says it is one of only four travel companies in the
United Kingdom that have the B Corp designation.
“For us as founders, this symbolizes and formalizes our
commitment to building a company that has a positive impact on the world. A
company that considers all of our stakeholders — from customers to suppliers to
shareholders — and balances people and the planet alongside profit. We want to
have a positive impact on the world that we're in,” says Alex Rainey,
co-founder and CEO of Pluto.
Last year, as the Black Lives Matter movement grew around
the world, Pluto
took steps to address diversity and inclusion within its company and
developed a 10-point pledge outlining how it will work to “combat systemic and
institutionalized racism and to improve diversity and inclusion in our industries.”
Globally there are 3,900 businesses in 75 countries certified
as B Corps. In the U.K., they include brands such as The Guardian, Patagonia and
The Body Shop.