Mobile-first local recommendation startup Localeur has topped off its coffer, bringing its to-date angel investment up to $1.2 million.
The latest investors include former Facebook chief revenue officer Mike Murphy, in addition to two other Facebook alums on the sales side, Tom Arrix and Blake Chandlee.
Regarding the investment, Murphy said that,
Millennials are the most powerful consumer generation in history and startups that can capture their attention will build powerful brands. Millennials value authenticity over anonymity and I'm excited about Localeur because they are building a marketplace that is built around delivering authentic value from authentic sources.
The startup focuses on delivering local recommendations through the mobile experience, leaning on local experts to provide fresh content on their favorite places to eat, things to do and places to see.
The expert recommendations have recently been supplemented with a user generated product that competes more directly with traditional review sites such as Yelp and TripAdvisor.
However, the brand has been focused on differentiating through content and delivery, focusing on tastemakers sharing favorites via mobile in a friendly format that encourages exploration.
There is also less focus on the "star" review structure, and more on the actual qualities and characteristics of the places themselves. This mirrors a Millennial trend away from more critical review sites like Yelp, where 62% of users are over 34, and towards local content with more visual heft and less subjective criticism.
Founder Joah Spearman points out that the team just hired its first full-time employee:
We've been extremely capital efficient for the last two years and securing this investment gives us substantial runway allowing us to build our team and enhance our product.
More importantly, we've added a group of advisers who have tremendous experience scaling one of the world's most valuable consumer tech startups, which is the kind of expertise we sought to nail our growth and monetization strategy.