What Planet Bee does

Planet Bee is a student-run science magazine founded in 2018 by University of Manchester students, including Robert Naylor (President) and Bethan Critchley (Treasurer). The publication aims to provide Manchester's student community with an independent voice on science, covering both scientific and non-scientific perspectives, and has released 8 issues through Spring 2026. Its core product is a periodic print magazine distributed to University of Manchester students, supplemented by a digital archive (PDFs and accessible versions) and an online art gallery hosted on a WordPress.com website.

The publication's technology stack is minimal: a standard WordPress content management system hosting the main site, archive, and art gallery, with no proprietary technology, APIs, integrations, or mobile applications. Revenue is absent — the magazine is free to readers and funded solely by institutional grants from the University of Manchester's Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health and the School of Physics and Astronomy. The Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine hosts the magazine's meetings on campus.

Planet Bee operates as a non-profit student organization (~10 contributors/editors) with a community-led go-to-market motion. It does not engage in commercial sales, advertising, or paid subscriptions. Its only paid customers are the two university faculties providing grant funding, and its audience is geographically concentrated in Manchester, UK. The publication's partnerships consist of institutional university support and a rota of academic advisors and graphic designers who contributed to the first two issues.

Name

Planet Bee

Legal name

Planet Bee

Website

https://planetbeemagazine.wordpress.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Planet Bee is a student-run science magazine published by University of Manchester students since 2018. It releases periodic print and digital issues, distributed free to the Manchester student community and funded by university faculty grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Science Magazine

akta.pro primary industry

Home, Garden & DIY Magazines (MPAJAEAG)

Keywords

• Student science magazine
• Science communication
• University publication
• Student journalism
• Science commentary

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. University Funding: Planet Bee is funded by institutional grants from the University of Manchester faculties. The Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health and the School of Physics and Astronomy provide financial support for magazine production and distribution.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Planet Bee is a student-run science magazine published by Manchester students at the University of Manchester. The publication provides an independent voice on science for the Manchester student community, combining editorial articles with student-created artwork. It is released as periodic issues distributed in print to the local student community and digitally through a WordPress-hosted archive.

Product overview

Planet Bee is a single, unified student science magazine product published by Manchester students as their voice on science. The publication is released in periodic issues (currently through Issue #8 in Spring 2026) and distributed both in print and digitally through their website. The product suite includes the main magazine, an archive of all past issues, and an associated art gallery showcasing student-created artwork that complements articles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Planet Bee Magazine A student-run science magazine providing Manchester students with an independent platform to critically explore scientific topics, combining editorial content with artistic interpretation. Distributed in print to the Manchester student community and digitally via the WordPress website.
• Planet Bee Magazine Archive Digital archive of all published Planet Bee magazine issues, including PDF downloads, accessible versions, and bibliography documents for each edition from Issue 1 (Winter 2018) through Issue 8 (Spring 2026).
• Planet Bee Art Gallery

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine (University of Manchester)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts Planet Bee's meetings on their premises, supporting the operational activities of the student magazine.
• David KirbyminorOthersProvided invaluable support for Planet Bee's first issue publication.
• Rebecca EvansminorOthersProvided invaluable support for Planet Bee's first issue publication.
• James SumnerminorOthersProvided invaluable support for Planet Bee's first issue publication.
• Vladimir JankovicminorOthersProvided invaluable support for Planet Bee's first issue publication.
• Taryn RockminorOthersProvided invaluable support for Planet Bee's first issue publication.
• Hawys WilliamsminorOthersProvided invaluable support for Planet Bee's first issue publication.
• Emma NicholsminorOthersProvided invaluable support for Planet Bee's first issue publication.
• Nick OgdenminorOthersProvided invaluable support for Planet Bee's first issue publication.
• Oscar Ingham (Graphic Designer)minorOthersGraphic designer for Planet Bee's second issue, contributed to the professional appearance of the publication.
• Sam Simpson (Graphic Designer)minorOthersGraphic designer for Planet Bee's second issue, contributed to the professional appearance of the publication.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• The Mancunion: The University of Manchester's flagship student newspaper, explicitly referenced as a partner marketing channel for Planet Bee. It is the closest direct peer: a UoM-affiliated student publication competing for the same campus audience, though with broader news coverage rather than a science focus.
• Varsity: The University of Cambridge's main student newspaper. Comparable to Planet Bee in being a long-running, student-run editorial publication at a major UK research university, though at significantly larger scale and broader topical remit.
• Felix: Imperial College London's student newspaper. Comparable to Planet Bee as a student-run publication at a STEM-focused UK university, with overlapping interest in science coverage and a similar small-team, campus-based operating model.
• The Oxford Student: The University of Oxford's main student newspaper. Comparable to Planet Bee as a student-led editorial outlet embedded in a leading UK research university with a tradition of independent journalistic voice.
• The Student (Edinburgh): The University of Edinburgh's independent student newspaper. Comparable to Planet Bee as a UK university student publication, with a similar grassroots editorial structure and free distribution model.

Broad incumbents

• Physics World: A science magazine covering physics and astronomy. Comparable to Planet Bee because one of its core funders is the University of Manchester's School of Physics and Astronomy, suggesting thematic overlap with the magazine's editorial content.
• Scientific American: A flagship popular science magazine with global reach. Comparable to Planet Bee in genre (science journalism for educated lay readers) but operates at vastly larger scale with a professional editorial staff and subscription revenue.
• New Scientist: A major UK-based weekly science magazine. Comparable to Planet Bee in subject matter (accessible science writing for a general audience) but operates at vastly larger scale with a paid subscription model, making it a broad incumbent in the same content category.
• BBC Science Focus: A long-running popular science magazine (formerly BBC Focus). Comparable to Planet Bee in targeting non-specialist readers interested in science, but as a commercially published, mass-market incumbent.

Emerging players

• The Tab: A UK student-led digital media network covering multiple universities. Comparable to Planet Bee in targeting UK student audiences with editorial content, though The Tab operates as a multi-campus digital platform rather than a single-university print magazine.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PlanetBeeMag
• Facebookfacebook.com/PlanetBeeMagazine
• Instagraminstagram.com/planetbeemag
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/planet-bee-magazine-manchester

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Planet Bee