Welcome Launches AI-Powered City Guide App - $3.5M Seed Funding

Discovering Cities with a Smarter Approach: Welcome App Launches

Numerous applications, such as Google Maps, Yelp, and TripAdvisor, assist in urban exploration by providing information on destinations, attractions, and activities. However, a new startup, Welcome, believes current tools can be significantly improved through enhanced personalization and intelligence.

A Personalized City Guide

Welcome’s innovative app leverages “real-time” data to deliver recommendations tailored to individual user preferences. It considers factors like weather conditions, the time of year, traffic patterns, and current popularity to curate a more relevant and insightful selection of options.

Co-founder Matthew Rosenberg describes the app as “a concierge in your pocket,” aiming to provide a more sophisticated and helpful city guide experience.

The Inspiration Behind Welcome

Rosenberg’s inspiration for Welcome stemmed from his travels with his wife following the sale of his previous company, Cameo, to Vimeo. Their journeys through Europe, Latin America, and the U.S. were enriching, but also highlighted a common frustration.

He found himself frequently consulting his phone, navigating through various platforms like Google Maps and reading reviews, instead of fully immersing himself in the experience. This prompted him to question why a more intelligent and context-aware tool didn’t exist.

“Why isn’t there a tool that can be smart and go beyond just place recommendations – that can really look at what’s going on in my life and in the world around me, and make smarter recommendations?” Rosenberg recalls pondering.

How Welcome Works

Welcome combines intelligent algorithms, personalized recommendations, and multimedia content to assist users in discovering local experiences. The startup was co-founded by Peter Gerard, Mark Armendariz, and Mark Essel, all former Vimeo employees.

An early version of the app was initially launched in 2019 as a market test, securing seed funding from Accel to further develop the platform.

The fully realized version is now available on the App Store.

Upon initial setup, users provide information about their interests and can select publishers to follow, such as Condé Nast, Lonely Planet, Eater, and Food & Wine. This content informs Welcome’s recommendation engine.

Exploring the App’s Features

Users can browse the home feed for relevant articles or explore the map, where suggestions are visually represented with icons indicating the type of place – a cheeseburger for restaurants, a martini glass for bars, and a tree for outdoor locations.

Each location listing includes photos, videos, directions, website links, phone numbers, and options to order ride-sharing services. Users can also contribute tips, save favorites, and add tags.

Filtering options at the top of the map allow users to focus on specific categories like food, drinks, activities, and arts.

While the app boasts a well-designed user interface, its usability isn’t as straightforward as apps heavily reliant on user-generated content and ratings.

The functionality for adding personal photos and videos wasn’t immediately apparent, as the “Add” button was sometimes hidden within a scrollable row. This design element could be improved for better user experience.

Future Development and Business Model

Welcome’s data processing and parsing engines are a key strength, utilizing custom tools to extract keywords from publisher articles and convert them into tags. The team plans to expand this capability to include local blogs and other sources, potentially through a web browser extension.

They are also exploring ways to integrate travel lists and tips from various sources, such as spreadsheets and notes.

Future plans include integrating content from travel creators and potentially offering premium guides for a fee. The company also intends to incorporate more in-app transactions, such as ticket bookings, with revenue-sharing arrangements.

Growth and Funding

Prior to its public launch, Welcome amassed over 50,000 beta users across more than 350 cities globally. Its database currently contains over 6.5 million places and over 300,000 curated recommendations.

The startup has secured $3.5 million in seed funding led by Accel, with participation from Lakestar Ventures. This brings the total funding raised to $4.2 million.

Currently, the Welcome app is available as a free download on iOS devices.