City discovery startup Questo has raised €300,000 to boost expansion of its app-based walking tours.
The round was led by Sparking Capital, with Early Game Ventures also participating.
Questo, a member of the PhocusWire Hot 25 Startups 2020 list, aims to reach 100 cities by the end of 2020 from its current base of 70.
The Romania-based startup, which was founded in 2017, offers self-guided tours, with a gamification element, helping travelers to discover less popular places and avoid crowds.
The investment will go towards enhancing its technology as well as forming more partnerships with tour operators.
Alex Govoreanu, co-founder and CEO, says: “Cities are the world's best playgrounds, but for some reason, most of us are playing indoors. With Questo, we are on a mission to change this by working with tour operators and local storytellers worldwide, who are designing their own quests, each with a unique theme.”
Questo has raised more than €600,000 to date.
The company says more than 50,000 people played one of its city exploration games in 2019.
* Check these two clips featuring Govoreanu, recorded at The Phocuswright Conference 2019 in the U.S.
Questo - Summit - The Phocuswright Conference 2019
Questo interview (PhocusWire @ Phocuswright Conference 2019)