IU-based startup The Bee Corp. publishes annual report on its social, environmental benefit

The Bee Corp., an agriculture technology startup founded by Indiana University alumni Ellie Symes, Simon Kuntz and Wyatt Wells, has published its 2016 benefit report to its website.

The Bee Corp. is a benefit corporation, which is a legal entity that allows business leaders to pursue socially and environmentally beneficial causes without violating fiduciary responsibilities.

As part of the commitment these companies take to pursue higher levels of purpose, accountability and transparency, benefit corporations publish an annual benefit report to highlight their achievements and challenges in creating a social benefit.

Among the highlights of The Bee Corp.’s benefit report are:

• Supporting Beekeepers: “Our company benefits beekeepers by applying technology to improve beekeeping methods and reduce hive loss in order to ensure the practice can be passed down to future generations.”
• Safeguarding Food Security: “Our company benefits society and the environment by protecting food security through restoring sustainable honeybee populations to fortify our agriculture production system.”
• 2016 Initiatives:
  • Develop a model to begin preventing hive losses in 2017.
  • Formulate partnerships with companies dedicated to pollinators.
  • Secure pollinator-friendly hive sites to conduct 2017 research and development.
  • Build supply chain with companies that encourage sustainable practices.
  • Minimize the carbon footprint generated through business activities.
• 2017 Goals:
  • Expand data collection and analysis from hives across the globe.
  • Translate hive data into actionable information to prevent hive loss.
  • Improve beekeepers’ response time for replacing a non-laying queen.
  • Minimize fuel consumption for hive management.

The complete benefit report is available on The Bee Corp’s website.

In 2017, the company was featured on the websites of R&D magazine, Agriculture.com, Xconomy.com, and Inside Indiana Business, among others. Its founders won the 2015-16 Building Entrepreneurs in Software and Technology Competition hosted by Indiana University’s School of Informatics and Computing and Kelley School of Business. A video about the company also is available online.