Leawood firm partners with BestyBnB on tech platform to protect domestic violence survivors, their pets
November 11, 2021 | Startland News Staff
Fresh off news of its $2 million investment by a local businesswoman and prominent animal advocate, Kansas City-based startup BestyBnB this week announced a new pet reservation tech platform — built by a company in neighboring Leawood.
Available on mobile and desktop, the BestyBnB web-based platform enables DV shelters to search and secure long- and short-term pet boarding options for abuse victims’ pets during their time of crisis. Confidentiality is paramount, and BestyBnB has security and confidentiality measures in place to protect the identity and location of pet caregivers and abuse victims alike.
“We worked to weave technology features and functionality with high security so that survivors won’t put themselves, their pets or their institutions at risk,” said Caylor Luther, the senior software consultant at Leawood-based 27Global who led design on the BestyBnB platform.
Click here to learn more about BestyBnB.
Elevator pitch: BestyBnB provides a platform for Domestic Violence Agencies to search and select from a list of loving, qualified and vetted pet caregiver households who desire to foster the pets of abuse victims. With 95 percent of agencies not having the resources to house pets, BestyBnB is removing one of the largest barriers faced by Agencies today. Before BestyBnB, abuse victims had to decide between their and their children’s safety and that of their pets. It shouldn’t be a choice. And it no longer is.
27Global’s platform design for BestyBnB enables “hosts” to sign up to offer pet care and to detail the services they provide as well as the types of pets they’re willing to host. Pet owners can also create a profile for their pet and search for potential hosts.
The solution integrates mapping and messaging to facilitate locating and communicating between pet owners, and it hosts and handles billing for the hosts. 27Global also built an institution feature that enables institutions such as DV shelters to manage the pet-boarding and exchange process from start to finish.
“We’re honored to have the opportunity to deliver a solution that will make such a difference in people’s lives,” said Steve Roatch, CEO of 27Global.
Click here to explore 27Global.
The 27Global team designed BestyBnB’s platform to be scalable across all market types in the likelihood that BestyBnB expands its offerings in the future. The firm also prioritized the importance of security and privacy in the tech design to protect domestic violence survivors’ personal information.
In addition to the $2 million investment from Sally Root, BestyBnB also recently signed on six domestic violence shelters in the Kansas City area, including Rose Brooks Center, Hope House, Synergy Services, Safehome, Hope Haven of Cass County and YWCA-St. Joseph.
After achieving proof of concept in Kansas City, BestyBnB hopes to expand its services to other markets and verticals across the U.S. 27Global’s scalable technology has provided them the means to do exactly that. 27Global is performing ongoing maintenance and support for BestyBnB through its Site Reliability Engineering offering to continually maximize uptime, performance and security of the system.
“27Global is a true partner in every sense of the word,” said Andy Bond, co-founder of BestyBnB. “Their team is prepared, accountable and always willing to roll up their sleeves to creatively solve challenges. Add to that top-tier technical skills possessed by genuine people, and it creates an ease of collaboration that produces powerful software that looks beautiful and is easy to use. And if all of that wasn’t enough, they are really fun to work with, too.
“Bottom line: The BestyBnB platform is better due to 27Global’s involvement.”
Featured Business

2021 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Bringing grub to KC food deserts, Rollin’ Grocer to expand impact after contest win
While he takes pride in his roots, Priest Hughes said it saddens him to see a staple of life — fresh food — become so difficult to attain in parts of Kansas City. Over the course of a decade, Hughes has noticed several grocery stores in his neighborhood close at an alarming rate. Purchasing fresh,…
Truck-sharing app Bungii hauling early success, eyeing expansion
Less than a year after its launch, Kansas City-based truck-sharing app Bungii is gaining significant traction. In addition to expanding its platform from only Kansas City to include Lawrence, Bungii has tapped hundreds of users that temporarily need a truck to haul their stuff. Led by two recent college graduates, Ben Jackson and Harrison Proffitt, Bungii’s on-demand…
Kauffman Foundation: National startup activity continues to improve
National startup activity grew slightly in 2016, a consecutive three-year improvement that reached pre-Great Recession levels, according to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. However, in the long-term view startup activity is still in decline when compared to the 1980s, the 2017 Kauffman Index of Startup Activity found. Victor Hwang, vice president of entrepreneurship at the…
Kauffman report: KC startup momentum builds for 3 years running, improves national rank
It’s not just a feeling. Momentum in Kansas City’s startup community continues to grow, according to new data from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The Kauffman Index of Startup Activity found that for the third consecutive year, entrepreneurial activity in the Kansas City metro has grown. The index — which presents entrepreneurial trends nationally, at…

