brettapproved

What brettapproved does

Brettapproved is a Phoenix, Arizona-based accessibility-focused travel company founded in 2012 by Brett Heising, a motivational speaker and disability advocate with lived disability experience. Its core product is brettapproved.com, a content platform launched in 2012 that aggregated accessibility information on more than 1,100 hotels, restaurants, and entertainment venues to help travelers with disabilities plan trips with greater confidence. The company positions itself around the distinction between legal ADA compliance and true accessibility, offering tangible, real-world guidance rather than regulatory checkbox advice. Today, the primary public-facing web presence is brettheising.com, which markets Brett Heising's consulting and speaking services under the broader brettapproved brand umbrella.

The business model is professional services rather than software or marketplace. Revenue is generated through two streams: (1) consulting engagements with Fortune 500 firms and travel industry suppliers focused on inclusive travel journey development and accessibility transformation, and (2) speaking fees from more than 30 appearances at colleges and universities across the United States. Go-to-market is sales-led and founder-driven, relying on personal credibility, direct enterprise outreach, referrals, and earned media coverage in outlets including Inc.com, the Washington Post, and the Today show. The company does not operate a SaaS product, mobile app, API, or marketplace transaction layer; brettapproved.com functions primarily as a brand and credibility asset rather than an active revenue-generating platform.

Brettapproved is a privately held, founder-owned sole proprietorship-style consulting practice. It employs 1-10 people, has raised $320,000 from Outlines Venture Group in 2013 as its only disclosed institutional capital, and has no parent company, subsidiaries, or known M&A activity. Marriott Global Sales is the only named enterprise customer. The leadership team includes Founder and CEO Brett Heising, Director of Web Product Evan Fishkin, Director Gillian Muessig, and Director of Travel Services Tarita Davenock. There are no AI/ML capabilities, patents, certifications, or regulatory actions disclosed in the available record.

Name

brettapproved

Legal name

Brett Heising Consulting

Website

https://brettapproved.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Brettapproved is a Phoenix-based accessibility travel company founded in 2012 by Brett Heising, offering consulting and speaking services to Fortune 500 firms and travel suppliers on disability accessibility, alongside a legacy database of 1,100+ accessible venues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Brett Heising provides consulting engagements to Fortune 500 firms and travel industry suppliers, helping them understand the difference between ADA compliance and true accessibility. The consulting focuses on disability awareness, accessibility transformation, and inclusive travel journey development.
2. Speaking Engagements: Brett speaks at colleges and universities across the country on topics of true accessibility, generating revenue through speaking fees. Over 30 speaking appearances have been completed.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Brettapproved operates the brettapproved.com accessibility content platform covering 1,100+ hotels, restaurants, and entertainment venues to help travelers with disabilities plan trips confidently. The company also delivers paid consulting engagements to Fortune 500 firms and travel industry suppliers on the distinction between ADA compliance and true accessibility, and offers paid speaking engagements at colleges and universities.

Product overview

brettapproved is a consulting and content platform led by Brett Heising, focused on disability accessibility in travel. The primary offering is brettapproved.com, a database of accessibility information for hotels, restaurants, and entertainment venues, launched in 2012. The company also provides consulting services helping organizations understand the difference between ADA compliance and true accessibility, as well as speaking engagements at colleges and universities on accessibility topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• brettapproved.com Accessibility Platform
• Accessibility Consulting Engagements
• Speaking Engagements

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 1,100 hotel, restaurant, and entertainment venue accessibility records created

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Wheel the World: Accessibility-focused travel marketplace offering bookable accessible trips, hotels, and activities with detailed accessibility information — the closest direct competitor to brettapproved's ratings/reviews/booking and accessibility content model.
• WheelchairTravel.org: Accessible travel review site curating accessibility information on hotels, destinations, and cruises for wheelchair users — directly comparable to brettapproved's venue-by-venue accessibility content.
• Sage Traveling: Accessible travel tour operator and consulting service that advises travelers with disabilities on destinations and accessibility logistics; comparable to brettapproved in combining expert advisory with curated accessible travel content.
• Curb Free with Cory Lee: Award-winning accessible travel blog covering hotels, destinations, and travel tips for wheelchair users; comparable to brettapproved as a personal-brand-driven accessible travel content platform.

Broad incumbents

• Lonely Planet: Major global travel guide publisher whose content increasingly includes accessibility filters and guides; overlaps with brettapproved on travel content but addresses accessibility as one of many topics rather than as a specialty.
• Booking.com: Largest OTA with extensive accessibility filter infrastructure for hotels and vacation rentals; competes with brettapproved's booking and venue-rating ambitions but as part of a much broader marketplace offering.
• Airbnb: Global travel marketplace with dedicated accessibility filters and an Accessibility Review program for listings; competes with brettapproved's peer-review venue model but is a horizontal platform rather than a specialist.
• Tripadvisor: Largest travel reviews and booking platform; its accessibility features and millions of venue reviews overlap with brettapproved's reviews and ratings offering, though accessibility is not its primary focus.

Emerging players

• AccessNow: Crowdsourced accessibility app mapping accessible places worldwide; comparable to brettapproved's accessibility venue database but with a mobile-first, community-driven approach rather than expert-curated content.

Others

• Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality (SATH): Nonprofit industry organization promoting accessible travel through training, conferences, and advocacy; not a direct competitor but operates in the same accessible-travel ecosystem that brettapproved serves.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCvX_bcexhafCyWnlEyYpIJg
• Xx.com/brettapproved
• Facebookfacebook.com/brettapproved

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about brettapproved