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Silicon Valley Tech Star Launches Groundbreaking New Website to Revolutionize Travel Research and Trip Planning

Katrina Garnett
2010-04-08 00:33 3875


SILICON VALLEY, Calif., April 8 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Katrina Garnett, renowned Silicon Valley entrepreneur and start-up investor launches http://www.MyLittleSwans.com (MLS) today to save substantial time and eliminate layers of fees for discerning global travelers and families. Designed for all types of users, the site caters to those who like to do a lot of research and seek out a lot of advice, as well as to those who prefer a more turn-key experience - and because MLS eliminates third party costs, users not only save time, but can also save a substantial amount of money.

Garnett founded My Little Swans in October 2007 and has invested more than $2,250,000 of her own personal capital in the creation of this business. While 2008 was focused on building the site and writing and uploading content, 2009 was focused on offering limited memberships to gain live user feedback. The site opens to the public April 7, 2010.

With such strong roots in Silicon Valley, the software is of course a key component, making MLS not only extraordinarily efficient, but also able to support "the next big thing" - that is, whatever comes after Facebook and Twitter - via superlative content management systems. Once logged in, members enjoy special privileges and promotions within the community, and the MLS Geo Friends tool and dedicated social networking platform allow like-minded travelers and groups to share their experiences through e-dialogues and messaging, images and video. By May, the My Trips feature will allow members to publish their itineraries and travel details directly to their iPhone or iPad.

MLS is a disruptive technology in that it literally saves money by cutting out the middleman for those who book with the select on-the-ground network of partners (approximately two per region). The site reflects over 15 years of Garnett family trips and includes 32 detailed itineraries along with thousands of stunning "real life" photos and maps. These are personal and vetted experiences, so members can fully trust the destination content and partner recommendations.

Creating a unique family journey that's memorable for all the right reasons is a matter of insider knowledge, special access, the best local guides and a seamless itinerary. Without a trusted efficient online source, this can take hundreds of hours. MLS avoids the predictable while simultaneously humanizing the research experience. MLS will never book trips; it will, however, shed superlative light on where and how to go, when to go (and when not to) and who are the best local insiders to call, much like a trusted globe-trotting friend.

Katrina Garnett Background

Garnett is an active technology startup investor and her prior early seed and startup investments include Siebel Software and Salesforce.com (NYSE public company, trades as CRM). Her current Internet and mobile investments include Adchemy, (a leading online advertising and marketing platform) and Tapulous, (the leading Apple iPhone applications company with their Tap Tap Revenge music games with over 25mil users). Garnett also serves on the Tapulous board of directors.

Prior to MLS, Katrina was the Founder, Chairman and President/CEO of CrossWorlds Software Inc. from its inception in 1996 to a successful public offering on Nasdaq (CWLD) in 2000 and acquisition by IBM in 2001. Her pioneering CrossWorlds' vision led to the establishment of a new software industry segment around the concept of Enterprise Application Integration (EAI), and in the process she built up a global public company with annual revenues of over $100M and 450 employees.

Garnett has been featured twice on the cover of Forbes, selected by Fortune as CEO of one of their 25 top startup technology companies in 1997 and has been regularly interviewed by leading TV shows such as CNBC and CNN. Born in Australia and educated in American and European schools, Garnett has always believed global experiences should be part of children's development and has been planning world adventures with her family from the time her firstborn was less than a year old. When not traveling or planning the next trip, her favorite hobbies are competitive Hunter/Jumper horseback riding, clay shooting, photography, fine art and fashion.

Source: Katrina Garnett
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