STARTUP STAGE: GettinLocal offers mobile marketing for businesses targeting tourists

GettinLocal

GettinLocal is an app to help consumers discover places to stay and eat and things to do in a specific location. 

Launched in 2018, the app is free for businesses that want to create a listing on it.

What is your 30-second pitch to investors?

GettinLocal is the first app that connects travelers to all businesses (tours, museums, restaurants, attractions, activities, hotels and much more). For consumers we are one app that connects to all. Gettinlocal creates hyperlocal discovery of all things to do based off GPS location (both near and far/staycation planning).

We have digitized the concierge and brochures you see in hotel lobbies and built the first contactless platform. For businesses, we are the evolution of the online travel agency. Our platform is self-service and charges NO commissions to the business; therefore, a business maintains 100% of the revenues. It is 100% free for businesses to create local campaigns.

Describe both the business and technology aspects of your startup.

We are the first self-service platform that empowers business to create custom digitals ads for their business and target a consumer audience.

Give us your SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis of the company.

• Strengths: Proprietary technology, first to market.
• Weakness: Creating discovery of our business to consumers and businesses.
• Opportunity: With the Covid-19 pandemic affecting all tourism, this has created a leveled playing field. We are a contactless solution.
• Threat: Another company replicating our technology and model.

What are the travel pain points you are trying to alleviate from both the customer and the industry perspective? 

GettinLocal creates a leveled playing field for all businesses to digitally market. With budgets being cut and staff let go we have a simple, user friendly platform that takes three minutes to create an ad for any business. GettinLocal removes the acquisition fee from OTA and social media.

For travelers, we offer hyperlocal discovery of all things to do without walking around with a paper brochure, magazine or coupon booklet.

So you've got the product, now how will you get lots of customers? 

We are co-branding with organization like Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Ripley’s and the Wildlife Conservation Society to introduce to their followers.

GettinLocal has in-room branding to introduce to hotel guests a contactless solution for digital discovery. We are marketing on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. We are doing mail drip campaigns and like campaigns to extend our reach. GettinLocal is partnering with chambers of commerce and visitor center bureaus to introduce the app to those communities. 

Tell us what process you've gone through to establish a genuine need for your company and the size of the addressable market. 

Recently, GettinLocal expanded to Canada as the Toronto Attractions Council was looking for a digital solution as paper is being mandated out of hotel lobbies and rooms. We have the opportunity to be a global company since we are a touchless solution.

How and when will you make money? 

We recently started generating small revenues with additional premium services. For example, merchants that elect for featured placement will have multiple impressions of their campaign throughout the app and push alerts to local travelers. In addition, featured merchants also benefit from outbound email to strengthen digital reach and brand awareness of their business.

What are the backgrounds and previous achievements of the founding team?

I, Vito Pagano, sold my first software company in 2016 to PE, the largest merchants services auditing company in the country. I also developed a REIT (real estate investment trust) and still own that business today. Peter Daly, my co-founder, was the former head of VISA USA for all acquirers (Visa/ MasterCard). And Shawn Smith is a Harvard MBA with a software background and has led technology teams where companies were acquired.

What's been the most difficult part of founding the business so far? 

Reacting to changes in the market and adjusting the technology and the Covid-19 impact on tourism.

Generally, travel startups face a fairly tough time making an impact - so why are you going to be one of lucky ones?

We are aligning with certain banks to introduce the app to card holders in specific areas to visit local businesses. Those institution are becoming value-added resellers of our technology to their portfolio. I have successfully brought a start up to market and successfully scaled and sold that technology company to PE. I have a group of advisors (former Uber investors) giving guidance.

A year from now, what state do you think your startup will be in? 

We will be a global player to bring tourism back to different countries and cities.

What is your end-game? (Going public, acquisition, growing and staying private, ect.) 

Going public and acquisition.