Startup founded by a former UoB student helping to reduce paper waste at the Welcome Fair

Freya Shaw -

By Freya Shaw, News Reporter

This year at the Welcome Fair Bristol SU will be using a digital companion app called Flyerless designed to replace paper leaflets and cut down on waste.

This was partially in response to an Epigram article in 2019 detailing the excessive amounts of waste produced at the Freshers fair weekend.

At each of the 337 stalls present at the Welcome Fair, a poster with a QR code will be displayed. Scanning the QR code takes the students to the app where they can there view the information and create an online wallet of flyers.

Preview of the app Group Page provided by Sam Tiller

The app also allows Bristol students to also have easy access to a map of the fair, prioritise their interests and browse the groups more generally.

Designed by Bristol alumni Sam Tiller and his friends, the app started its life as part of a unit run by the innovation department. It was then supported into existence by the help of the Student Union, which is now using the product to address the issue of excess waste.

Christy O’Sullivan, director of Community and Opportunity at the SU said ‘The SU is delighted to be partnering with Flyerless for the 2021 Welcome Fair companion web app. We hope that the app will help connect students with their communities, making it easy to browse our incredible range of student groups, sign up to mailing lists, and click through to the SU webpages where membership can be selected or bought.

Home Page of the app / Sam Tiller

‘Flyerless and Bristol SU have a shared value of Sustainability. We think the app will reduce paper waste by negating the need for flyers, and will contribute to this Welcome Fair being our most sustainable ever!

‘We are proud to be working with the former Bristol students who founded Flyerless, and we’d encourage all Welcome Fair attendees to register for the web app in advance, so that they can get the most out of the Welcome Fair experience.’

Example of the Group QR code / Sam Tiller

The success of the startup is inspiring for Bristol students who are also thinking of creating their own companies and shows the how willing the university is to support its current and former students.

Featured Image: Epigram/Filiz Gurer

Will you be attending the Bristol SU's Welcome Fair?