Round Us
The Round Us app is constructed on a proprietary geographic knowledge machine that permits customers to seamlessly plan and revel in their travels.
Based in 2023, Round Us is an interactive shuttle information that permits customers to find vacationer spots close by and discover them thru a global map.
What’s your 30-second pitch to traders?
Round Us is without equal shuttle significant other that transforms the way you discover the sector
round you. Not like conventional maps stuffed with beside the point places, Round Us highlights
best what issues: iconic landmarks, hidden gemstones and distinctive reviews. With greater than 10 million vacationer spots and 16,000 particular filters – from “suspended bridges” to
“monasteries” – the app permits you to create customized trips comfortably. Whether or not you’re
making plans an in depth itinerary or finding one thing new close to your own home, Round Us
brings the sector’s wonders in your fingertips, making each journey in point of fact
unforgettable
Describe each the trade and era sides of your startup.
Round Us is an app (Android, iOS and AppleTV) and web site constructed on a lightning-fast,
proprietary geographic knowledge machine, advanced on a Pass-based backend to
be sure that potency and scalability. From a era point of view, our objective is to offer
probably the most optimized platform – each in-app and on the internet – for customers to seamlessly plan
and revel in their travels.
At the trade aspect, we’re dedicated to maintaining Round Us 100% loose for customers,
that specialize in providing an enriched revel in that comes with now not simply finding and
making plans a travel, but in addition managing logistics. Our app goals to simplify reserving
lodging, actions and different necessities, making sure that the entirety customers want
for his or her adventure is to be had inside a couple of clicks, making shuttle making plans each available
and easy.
Give us your SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Alternatives, Threats) research of the
corporate.
- Strengths: Our core energy lies in our powerful geographic database era,
that includes greater than 10 million attractions saved as structured information. This permits us to
supply extremely related solutions to customers in a fragment of a moment with a visually
enticing interface, turning in an revel in that stands except the rest to be had
as of late. Moreover, we’re development a powerful network of native professionals, permitting customers
to have interaction with those that have firsthand wisdom of every location, thus growing
richer, extra unique shuttle reviews. This center of attention on community-driven content material
strengthens our platform and differentiates us from competition. -
Weaknesses: These days, we’re a small workforce of simply two staff – CEO and platform developer Jean-François
Pillou and Stéphane Renard, a professional in tourism and
shuttle, that specialize in logo building and partnerships with key gamers within the shuttle
business. Whilst this construction permits us to deal with nice agility and an overly low
breakeven level, it additionally limits our capability for speedy growth and building in
spaces reminiscent of advertising and marketing, buyer beef up and technical options, which would possibly require
extra manpower as we develop. -
Alternatives: There’s a hole available in the market for what we provide. On one aspect, primary shuttle
gamers center of attention on transportation, lodging and meals, frequently overlooking what’s at
the core of shuttle — sightseeing. At the different, present map programs have round
200 million attractions, but just one% are in point of fact significant these days they’re
wanted. Round Us immediately addresses this hole through that specialize in the real pursuits of
vacationers. - Threats: As at all times, there may be the likelihood {that a} primary participant would possibly mirror our
way. Then again, for this reason we’re development a powerful network day-to-day, as that
is in the long run what makes the variation. Earlier than founding Round Us, I created
CommentCaMarche, the biggest IT network in France, and later CCM Benchmark,
which amassed greater than 23 million guests per 30 days. I’m well-versed within the methods
had to construct a thriving network and target audience.
What are the shuttle ache issues you are attempting to relieve from each the buyer and
the business viewpoint?
Round Us goals to simplify the frequently complicated strategy of end-to-end shuttle making plans. For
vacationers, making plans a travel most often comes to leaping between other equipment—guidebooks
or virtual shuttle guides for vacationer sights, maps to find those spots, separate
searches for sensible, up-to-date knowledge and reserving programs to coordinate
the entirety. This fragmented revel in can also be overwhelming and inefficient.
Subscribe to our e-newsletter under
From an business viewpoint, the loss of a unified, user-friendly platform that brings
in combination most of these sides makes it difficult to serve vacationers successfully. Round Us
addresses those ache issues through offering an built-in revel in that unifies most of these
elements into one easy, enticing interface. It permits customers to seamlessly discover
locations, accumulate sensible knowledge, and set up logistics, all in some way this is
intuitive and relaxing.
So you have got the product, now how can you get numerous consumers?
Phrase of mouth has labored very successfully for us, amplified through press protection in
a number of international locations — the app is to be had in 8 languages – which helped us achieve the
first million downloads relatively briefly. Now, our rising network is including new issues
of passion day-to-day, producing content material on our web site that ranks effectively on Google. This
natural visitors encourages new customers to obtain the app, making a virtuous expansion
loop.
Let us know what procedure you could have long gone thru to determine a real want to your corporate
and the dimensions of the addressable marketplace.
I seen that primary shuttle platforms have a tendency to prioritize reserving logistics like
lodging and transportation, whilst the core motivation for lots of vacationers — exploring distinctive locations — stays underserved. Conventional maps are cluttered
with beside the point issues, and present vacationer guides are fragmented, making all of the
making plans revel in bulky. This perception printed a transparent want for an answer that
would lend a hand customers without problems uncover attention-grabbing puts and plan their journeys
comprehensively in a single interface. With over 1,000,000 downloads and customers from round
the sector, we see really extensive passion, validating the desire for an intuitive, centralized
platform for vacation spot exploration.
When it comes to marketplace measurement, the worldwide shuttle and tourism marketplace is value trillions, with a
really extensive portion of vacationers searching for cultural and experiential actions. Round Us
objectives this phase immediately through making exploration and making plans seamless. Our
addressable marketplace comprises now not best vacationers searching for new reviews but in addition native
professionals and tourism forums in need of to advertise their locations.
How and when will you are making cash?
We purpose to stay the core app revel in loose for customers to
maximize expansion and engagement. Income can be generated thru partnerships
with tourism forums and thru integration with reserving platforms, permitting customers to
ebook lodging, actions or eating places immediately during the app. Each and every
transaction will contain a commission-based income flow. Moreover, white-label
alternatives and collaborations with shuttle business gamers like Reserving.com or Airbnb
may well be explored to diversify income assets.
What are the backgrounds and former achievements of the founding workforce?
The founding workforce of Round Us brings a singular aggregate of technological experience
and deep business wisdom. Jean-François Pillou, an engineer through coaching, created
CommentCaMarche and bought CCM Benchmark in 2010. These days, CCM Benchmark
generates €60 million in annual income with €20 million in web benefit. Jean-François has
a confirmed observe report of creating robust communities and impactful virtual platforms, as
demonstrated through the good fortune of CommentCaMarche and CCM Benchmark, which
reached 23 million per thirty days guests in France prior to being bought through Le Figaro Staff
for over €100 million in 2015. His technical experience is the root in the back of the extremely
environment friendly geographic knowledge machine that powers Round Us.
Stéphane Renard, director of building at Round Us, joined in 2024, bringing
greater than 25 years of revel in within the shuttle business. With a twin background in geography
and publishing, Stéphane has labored with notable firms reminiscent of Le Information du
Routard, Travelzoo, Vacation Pirates and Webedia Trip. His occupation has been
devoted to creating shuttle available and reasonably priced, with a keenness for turning in the
best possible worth for shoppers. Stéphane’s project at Round Us is to power logo
building, build up app visibility and create strategic partnerships around the shuttle
sector. His intensive revel in and exuberance for the challenge make him a useful
asset in development Round Us right into a go-to answer for vacationers international.
How have you ever addressed variety and inclusion inside your small business?
As our workforce recently is composed of simply two other folks, it’s nonetheless early to deal with variety and
inclusion from an inside staffing viewpoint. Then again, we have now prioritized those
rules inside our product itself. Round Us supplies knowledge on available
places for other folks with disabilities, making sure inclusivity in shuttle making plans. Moreover,
we’re actively creating loose audio guides for every vacation spot, leveraging our
structured database to make the app usable for visually impaired and blind vacationers,
selling a extra inclusive shuttle revel in for everybody. Moreover, our app is helping
communities prepare their journeys in accordance with their personal tastes, reminiscent of discovering the most productive
LGBT-friendly resorts in Berlin, making an allowance for customized and inclusive shuttle
reviews.
What is been probably the most tough a part of founding the trade up to now?
There haven’t been any primary difficulties up to now. The principle center of attention has been on
creating the platform with a powerful emphasis on efficiency, scalability and
maintainability. We’ve invested really extensive effort in making sure that the machine is very
scalable — leveraging Kubernetes to deal with a minimum footprint all the way through low-traffic
sessions whilst scaling successfully all the way through high-traffic peaks, reminiscent of when the app is
discussed at the radio, TV or through an influencer. This way permits us to offer a
constant and dependable revel in without reference to call for.
Most often, shuttle startups face a somewhat difficult time making an have an effect on – so why are you
going to be one among fortunate ones?
Developing impactful initiatives takes time — numerous time. After I began
CommentCaMarche, it took me 5 years prior to I may just make a dwelling from it. Many
startups cause a ticking clock through elevating finances too early and hiring aggressively, racing
in opposition to time to succeed in good fortune.
I take the other way: I get started lean, wanting little or no. The infrastructure for
Round Us, for instance, prices lower than $2,000 per 30 days, all integrated. I function with
the mindset that it is going to take 3 to 4 years for the product to in point of fact take off. With 1,000,000
app downloads throughout maximum international locations international in simply over a 12 months, I already believe
us a few of the fortunate ones — even though we nonetheless have the following few years to determine a extra
dominant presence.
A 12 months from now, what state do you suppose your startup can be in?
A 12 months from now, we purpose to center of attention closely on development and empowering our network
through enabling larger interplay with the content material — reminiscent of including evaluations, and Q&A
options. Very similar to how Amazon permits customers to seek out the entirety they want, upload pieces to
their cart, and seek the advice of evaluations and responses from different patrons, we wish Round Us to
supply a wealthy, interactive revel in. Without equal objective is to create a network of
native professionals who know the secrets and techniques of every location, bettering the price for all customers
through sharing insider wisdom.
What’s your end-game? (Going public, acquisition, rising and staying non-public, and so on.)
The objective is to determine Round Us because the chief in shuttle through development the biggest
network and turning into a real “love logo.” When it comes to valuation, our purpose is, of
path, to surpass what I accomplished with CommentCaMarche and CCM Benchmark,
particularly now that we’ve got an international footprint focused on everybody of touring age. Our
center of attention is on long-term expansion, network building and making a product that
vacationers surely love, with an open thoughts about long term chances, whether or not that
comes to going public, acquisition or persevered non-public expansion.
Phocuswright Innovation Platform
Phocuswright Innovation is a platform that fosters a colourful and interconnected network of innovators, startups, traders and idea leaders contributing to the whole building of an innovation ecosystem in shuttle. The usage of this one hyperlink, startups can find out about all the innovation-related occasions and methods from Phocuswright and PhocusWire.
Round Us
The Round Us app is constructed on a proprietary geographic knowledge machine that permits customers to seamlessly plan and revel in their travels.
Based in 2023, Round Us is an interactive shuttle information that permits customers to find vacationer spots close by and discover them thru a global map.
What’s your 30-second pitch to traders?
Round Us is without equal shuttle significant other that transforms the way you discover the sector
round you. Not like conventional maps stuffed with beside the point places, Round Us highlights
best what issues: iconic landmarks, hidden gemstones and distinctive reviews. With greater than 10 million vacationer spots and 16,000 particular filters – from “suspended bridges” to
“monasteries” – the app permits you to create customized trips comfortably. Whether or not you’re
making plans an in depth itinerary or finding one thing new close to your own home, Round Us
brings the sector’s wonders in your fingertips, making each journey in point of fact
unforgettable
Describe each the trade and era sides of your startup.
Round Us is an app (Android, iOS and AppleTV) and web site constructed on a lightning-fast,
proprietary geographic knowledge machine, advanced on a Pass-based backend to
be sure that potency and scalability. From a era point of view, our objective is to offer
probably the most optimized platform – each in-app and on the internet – for customers to seamlessly plan
and revel in their travels.
At the trade aspect, we’re dedicated to maintaining Round Us 100% loose for customers,
that specialize in providing an enriched revel in that comes with now not simply finding and
making plans a travel, but in addition managing logistics. Our app goals to simplify reserving
lodging, actions and different necessities, making sure that the entirety customers want
for his or her adventure is to be had inside a couple of clicks, making shuttle making plans each available
and easy.
Give us your SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Alternatives, Threats) research of the
corporate.
- Strengths: Our core energy lies in our powerful geographic database era,
that includes greater than 10 million attractions saved as structured information. This permits us to
supply extremely related solutions to customers in a fragment of a moment with a visually
enticing interface, turning in an revel in that stands except the rest to be had
as of late. Moreover, we’re development a powerful network of native professionals, permitting customers
to have interaction with those that have firsthand wisdom of every location, thus growing
richer, extra unique shuttle reviews. This center of attention on community-driven content material
strengthens our platform and differentiates us from competition. -
Weaknesses: These days, we’re a small workforce of simply two staff – CEO and platform developer Jean-François
Pillou and Stéphane Renard, a professional in tourism and
shuttle, that specialize in logo building and partnerships with key gamers within the shuttle
business. Whilst this construction permits us to deal with nice agility and an overly low
breakeven level, it additionally limits our capability for speedy growth and building in
spaces reminiscent of advertising and marketing, buyer beef up and technical options, which would possibly require
extra manpower as we develop. -
Alternatives: There’s a hole available in the market for what we provide. On one aspect, primary shuttle
gamers center of attention on transportation, lodging and meals, frequently overlooking what’s at
the core of shuttle — sightseeing. At the different, present map programs have round
200 million attractions, but just one% are in point of fact significant these days they’re
wanted. Round Us immediately addresses this hole through that specialize in the real pursuits of
vacationers. - Threats: As at all times, there may be the likelihood {that a} primary participant would possibly mirror our
way. Then again, for this reason we’re development a powerful network day-to-day, as that
is in the long run what makes the variation. Earlier than founding Round Us, I created
CommentCaMarche, the biggest IT network in France, and later CCM Benchmark,
which amassed greater than 23 million guests per 30 days. I’m well-versed within the methods
had to construct a thriving network and target audience.
What are the shuttle ache issues you are attempting to relieve from each the buyer and
the business viewpoint?
Round Us goals to simplify the frequently complicated strategy of end-to-end shuttle making plans. For
vacationers, making plans a travel most often comes to leaping between other equipment—guidebooks
or virtual shuttle guides for vacationer sights, maps to find those spots, separate
searches for sensible, up-to-date knowledge and reserving programs to coordinate
the entirety. This fragmented revel in can also be overwhelming and inefficient.
Subscribe to our e-newsletter under
From an business viewpoint, the loss of a unified, user-friendly platform that brings
in combination most of these sides makes it difficult to serve vacationers successfully. Round Us
addresses those ache issues through offering an built-in revel in that unifies most of these
elements into one easy, enticing interface. It permits customers to seamlessly discover
locations, accumulate sensible knowledge, and set up logistics, all in some way this is
intuitive and relaxing.
So you have got the product, now how can you get numerous consumers?
Phrase of mouth has labored very successfully for us, amplified through press protection in
a number of international locations — the app is to be had in 8 languages – which helped us achieve the
first million downloads relatively briefly. Now, our rising network is including new issues
of passion day-to-day, producing content material on our web site that ranks effectively on Google. This
natural visitors encourages new customers to obtain the app, making a virtuous expansion
loop.
Let us know what procedure you could have long gone thru to determine a real want to your corporate
and the dimensions of the addressable marketplace.
I seen that primary shuttle platforms have a tendency to prioritize reserving logistics like
lodging and transportation, whilst the core motivation for lots of vacationers — exploring distinctive locations — stays underserved. Conventional maps are cluttered
with beside the point issues, and present vacationer guides are fragmented, making all of the
making plans revel in bulky. This perception printed a transparent want for an answer that
would lend a hand customers without problems uncover attention-grabbing puts and plan their journeys
comprehensively in a single interface. With over 1,000,000 downloads and customers from round
the sector, we see really extensive passion, validating the desire for an intuitive, centralized
platform for vacation spot exploration.
When it comes to marketplace measurement, the worldwide shuttle and tourism marketplace is value trillions, with a
really extensive portion of vacationers searching for cultural and experiential actions. Round Us
objectives this phase immediately through making exploration and making plans seamless. Our
addressable marketplace comprises now not best vacationers searching for new reviews but in addition native
professionals and tourism forums in need of to advertise their locations.
How and when will you are making cash?
We purpose to stay the core app revel in loose for customers to
maximize expansion and engagement. Income can be generated thru partnerships
with tourism forums and thru integration with reserving platforms, permitting customers to
ebook lodging, actions or eating places immediately during the app. Each and every
transaction will contain a commission-based income flow. Moreover, white-label
alternatives and collaborations with shuttle business gamers like Reserving.com or Airbnb
may well be explored to diversify income assets.
What are the backgrounds and former achievements of the founding workforce?
The founding workforce of Round Us brings a singular aggregate of technological experience
and deep business wisdom. Jean-François Pillou, an engineer through coaching, created
CommentCaMarche and bought CCM Benchmark in 2010. These days, CCM Benchmark
generates €60 million in annual income with €20 million in web benefit. Jean-François has
a confirmed observe report of creating robust communities and impactful virtual platforms, as
demonstrated through the good fortune of CommentCaMarche and CCM Benchmark, which
reached 23 million per thirty days guests in France prior to being bought through Le Figaro Staff
for over €100 million in 2015. His technical experience is the root in the back of the extremely
environment friendly geographic knowledge machine that powers Round Us.
Stéphane Renard, director of building at Round Us, joined in 2024, bringing
greater than 25 years of revel in within the shuttle business. With a twin background in geography
and publishing, Stéphane has labored with notable firms reminiscent of Le Information du
Routard, Travelzoo, Vacation Pirates and Webedia Trip. His occupation has been
devoted to creating shuttle available and reasonably priced, with a keenness for turning in the
best possible worth for shoppers. Stéphane’s project at Round Us is to power logo
building, build up app visibility and create strategic partnerships around the shuttle
sector. His intensive revel in and exuberance for the challenge make him a useful
asset in development Round Us right into a go-to answer for vacationers international.
How have you ever addressed variety and inclusion inside your small business?
As our workforce recently is composed of simply two other folks, it’s nonetheless early to deal with variety and
inclusion from an inside staffing viewpoint. Then again, we have now prioritized those
rules inside our product itself. Round Us supplies knowledge on available
places for other folks with disabilities, making sure inclusivity in shuttle making plans. Moreover,
we’re actively creating loose audio guides for every vacation spot, leveraging our
structured database to make the app usable for visually impaired and blind vacationers,
selling a extra inclusive shuttle revel in for everybody. Moreover, our app is helping
communities prepare their journeys in accordance with their personal tastes, reminiscent of discovering the most productive
LGBT-friendly resorts in Berlin, making an allowance for customized and inclusive shuttle
reviews.
What is been probably the most tough a part of founding the trade up to now?
There haven’t been any primary difficulties up to now. The principle center of attention has been on
creating the platform with a powerful emphasis on efficiency, scalability and
maintainability. We’ve invested really extensive effort in making sure that the machine is very
scalable — leveraging Kubernetes to deal with a minimum footprint all the way through low-traffic
sessions whilst scaling successfully all the way through high-traffic peaks, reminiscent of when the app is
discussed at the radio, TV or through an influencer. This way permits us to offer a
constant and dependable revel in without reference to call for.
Most often, shuttle startups face a somewhat difficult time making an have an effect on – so why are you
going to be one among fortunate ones?
Developing impactful initiatives takes time — numerous time. After I began
CommentCaMarche, it took me 5 years prior to I may just make a dwelling from it. Many
startups cause a ticking clock through elevating finances too early and hiring aggressively, racing
in opposition to time to succeed in good fortune.
I take the other way: I get started lean, wanting little or no. The infrastructure for
Round Us, for instance, prices lower than $2,000 per 30 days, all integrated. I function with
the mindset that it is going to take 3 to 4 years for the product to in point of fact take off. With 1,000,000
app downloads throughout maximum international locations international in simply over a 12 months, I already believe
us a few of the fortunate ones — even though we nonetheless have the following few years to determine a extra
dominant presence.
A 12 months from now, what state do you suppose your startup can be in?
A 12 months from now, we purpose to center of attention closely on development and empowering our network
through enabling larger interplay with the content material — reminiscent of including evaluations, and Q&A
options. Very similar to how Amazon permits customers to seek out the entirety they want, upload pieces to
their cart, and seek the advice of evaluations and responses from different patrons, we wish Round Us to
supply a wealthy, interactive revel in. Without equal objective is to create a network of
native professionals who know the secrets and techniques of every location, bettering the price for all customers
through sharing insider wisdom.
What’s your end-game? (Going public, acquisition, rising and staying non-public, and so on.)
The objective is to determine Round Us because the chief in shuttle through development the biggest
network and turning into a real “love logo.” When it comes to valuation, our purpose is, of
path, to surpass what I accomplished with CommentCaMarche and CCM Benchmark,
particularly now that we’ve got an international footprint focused on everybody of touring age. Our
center of attention is on long-term expansion, network building and making a product that
vacationers surely love, with an open thoughts about long term chances, whether or not that
comes to going public, acquisition or persevered non-public expansion.
Phocuswright Innovation Platform
Phocuswright Innovation is a platform that fosters a colourful and interconnected network of innovators, startups, traders and idea leaders contributing to the whole building of an innovation ecosystem in shuttle. The usage of this one hyperlink, startups can find out about all the innovation-related occasions and methods from Phocuswright and PhocusWire.
