We are Pion.

Are you really owning your growth?
Or just renting it?

Most marketing platforms hoard your data, dilute your brand and charge you for clicks—but you’re left owning nothing. Pion helps you grow without giving up control.

About Pion

Growth without Compromise

Offers. Audiences. Ownership. All in one powerful platform.

With Pion, verify high-value audiences, own your experience and data, and reach millions of pre-verified customers. No more juggling providers or choosing between ownership and reach—just growth that actually delivers.

You're in good company. Thousands of global brands trust Pion to power their growth.

You're in good company.
Thousands of global brands trust Pion to power their growth.

3,500+

brand partners

100+

active territories

How We Got Here

(and why it matters to you)

2005

We began as Student Beans, founded in Birmingham UK by brothers James and Mike Eder. We pioneered digital student discounts and laid the foundations for global leadership in youth marketing.
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*fun fact* Initially our student offers focused on local, printable vouchers for businesses in Birmingham.

2006

Student Beans expanded to 18 cities across the UK.

*fun fact* This was the year we graduated from CEO Mike’s bedroom into our first office.

2009

We launched our editorial platform to support student life, with money-saving tips and the hottest trends.

2010

We formed The Beans Group, establishing our position as a media owner.

2011

We rebranded Student Beans, marking a new chapter, with our orange logo ripening into a distinctive berry blue.

2012

Acquired Reach Student, launched YMS (our leading youth marketing event), and created the first-ever online freshers fair, Freshersfields.
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*fun fact* We reached 1M members and 1M visits a month.

2013

We launched Voxburner, our youth insights agency, which quickly became an industry-leading source for marketers to understand Gen Z behaviours, attitudes and trends.

*fun fact* We won The Digital Business of the Year award!

2014

We proudly launched the Student Beans iD iOS app. It was even featured as ‘Best New App’ in the App Store. YMS went international, arriving in NYC for the very first time!

2015

Our award-winning digital verification tool launched, giving brands a simple and secure way to ensure their discounts reach genuine students.

2016 - 2017

Student Beans went global! Now verifying student status in over 100 markets.

2022

Launching Beans iD expanded our capabilities, helping brands reach and verify more high-value audiences—like graduates, military and healthcare workers— while activating gated offers, and unlocking first-party data.

2023

As the breadth of our offering evolved, so did our identity. We simplified our brand to better reflect our ambition: helping marketers drive meaningful growth.

*fun fact* We celebrated our 18th birthday in style with fizz and bumper discounts.

2024

We created Pion.
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Why? To solve a fundamental problem: brands were being forced to rent their growth, instead of owning it. By bringing together verification, ownership and reach—powered by Student Beans, Beans iD and YMS—we help brands grow without compromise, creating measurable, lasting impact.

2025

Pion hit the high street.

We launched a suite of marketing tools connecting digital and physical retail. Brands can now drive footfall, boost in-store conversion, capture first-party data and retarget customers—all through the Student Beans app.

2026

Student Shopping Nights joins Pion.

We acquired the UK’s largest student event network to grow our experiential offering, and scale brand activations across shopping centres nationwide. Paired with our verification tech, we’ve transformed one-off moments into always-on engagement and long-term loyalty.