Transforming how people
experience cities.
An audio-first AI platform that turns every walk into a conversation with the city itself. Powered by conversational AI, local knowledge, and human curiosity.
Executive Summary
The Opportunity
The global audio guide and tourism market is valued at $2.5B+ and growing at 15% annually, yet remains dominated by static, pre-recorded content that can't adapt to individual interests or answer questions in real-time. We're revolutionizing this space with conversational AI-powered audio tours that feel like walking with a knowledgeable local guide who responds to your curiosity, adapts to your route, and reveals stories you'd never find in a guidebook.
BEMO + citypal Platform
Two brands, one powerful platform. BEMO is the consumer app people love. citypal is the enterprise platform that powers it all.
BEMO
Your exploration companion. BEMO walks with you, talks with you, and helps you fall in love with every place you visit. Global appeal. Friendly. Human.
citypal
The spatial AI platform powering BEMO and white-label solutions for cities worldwide. Infrastructure. Intelligence. Integration.
Why This Architecture Works
What We Do
BEMO is an audio-first AI exploration companion powered by the citypal platform. Users simply put in their earbuds, open BEMO, and walk—their AI companion narrates their journey, answers questions, points out hidden gems, and adapts routes in real-time based on interests and environmental conditions. Behind the scenes, the citypal platform provides the spatial intelligence, content infrastructure, and white-label capabilities that scale this experience to cities worldwide.
Why Now
- AI Breakthrough: Large language models have reached the quality threshold for natural, contextual conversation
- Post-Pandemic Tourism Boom: International travel has rebounded to record levels with travelers seeking more meaningful, local experiences
- Smartphone Ubiquity: 85% of tourists use smartphones for navigation and recommendations
- Audio-First Trend: Explosive growth in podcasts and audiobooks demonstrates preference for audio consumption while mobile
Business Model
B2C: Freemium subscription model ($9.99/month or $79/year) with city-specific premium tours
B2B: White-label partnerships with cities, tourism boards, and cultural institutions
B2B2C: Revenue sharing with local businesses and tour operators
Traction to Date
The Ask
We are raising a $3M seed round to scale our AI infrastructure, expand city coverage to 100+ destinations, build out the team, and launch our Early Partnership Program with 3 pilot cities.
Market Opportunity
Market Size
Market Trends
Mobile-First Tourism
85% of travelers use smartphones for trip planning and navigation. Mobile tourism apps grew 300% since 2019.
Audio Content Explosion
Podcast listenership up 45% since 2020. Audiobook market growing at 25% annually. Users prefer audio while mobile.
AI Assistant Adoption
ChatGPT reached 100M users in 2 months. Consumers now expect conversational AI in everyday tools.
Authentic Local Experiences
72% of travelers prefer "living like a local" over traditional sightseeing. Demand for personalized, story-driven experiences.
Target Customer Segments
Curious Travelers
Ages 25-45, frequent international travelers, podcast listeners, value authentic local experiences over tourist traps
Cultural Enthusiasts
Ages 35-65, museum members, history buffs, architecture lovers, willing to pay premium for quality content
Urban Explorers
Ages 20-50, enjoy walking cities, avoid group tours, tech-savvy early adopters, value spontaneity and discovery
Product & Technology
Core Platform Features
Audio-First Experience
Phone stays in your pocket. Eyes on the world, not on a screen. Natural, conversational narration that feels like a friend guiding you.
Conversational AI
Ask questions, get instant answers. "What's that building?" "Where can I get coffee?" citypal responds naturally in real-time.
Adaptive Routing
Routes adjust to weather, your pace, interests, and time available. Discover hidden gems based on where you are and what you love.
Learning Intelligence
citypal learns your curiosity—history buff, foodie, architecture geek. Adapts without filtering out serendipity.
Local Knowledge Graph
Partnerships with historians, locals, and cultural experts. Real stories, not Wikipedia summaries.
Privacy-First Design
Location data never leaves your device. No tracking, no selling data. Ethical AI that respects users.
Technology Stack
AI & Machine Learning
- • GPT-4 and Claude for conversational AI
- • Custom fine-tuned models for each city
- • RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) for factual accuracy
- • Real-time context awareness and adaptation
- • Multilingual support (12+ languages)
Infrastructure
- • React Native for iOS/Android apps
- • Node.js/TypeScript backend
- • PostgreSQL + vector database for knowledge graph
- • AWS infrastructure with edge computing
- • Real-time audio streaming and synthesis
Business Model
B2C: Consumer
B2B: Cities & Tourism
B2B2C: Partnerships
Revenue Projections (Years 1-4)
The Path to $1B Revenue
citypal is uniquely positioned to become the dominant platform for location-aware AI experiences. Here's how we scale to unicorn status.
Market Dominance
- →500+ cities globally
- →5M paying subscribers
- →100+ white-label deployments
- →Platform becomes industry standard
Platform Expansion
- →1,000+ cities (every major destination)
- →15M paying subscribers
- →New verticals: education, corporate, entertainment
- →API licensing to travel/navigation apps
Unicorn Status
- →25M+ paying subscribers
- →Spatial AI OS for any location-aware app
- →M&A of complementary travel/AI companies
- →International expansion at scale
Five Key Scaling Levers
1. Geographic Expansion
Every city with 500K+ population is addressable. 4,000+ cities globally = massive TAM. Network effects: more cities = more valuable platform.
2. User Monetization Depth
Upsell premium features: offline mode, custom voices, professional tours, group experiences. Average revenue per user grows from $80/year to $200+/year.
3. White-Label at Scale
Every major city becomes a $500K+ ARR customer. 200 white-label deployments at $500K each = $100M recurring revenue alone.
4. Platform & API Revenue
License our spatial AI layer to navigation apps (Google Maps, Apple Maps), travel platforms (Airbnb, Booking), and automotive (Tesla, Mercedes).
5. New Verticals
Apply technology to education (field trips), corporate (team building), entertainment (AR experiences), real estate (property tours), and museums.
6. Marketplace Economics
Local businesses, tour operators, and content creators pay for access to our audience. Take 20-30% of transactions. Airbnb "Experiences" model but AI-native.
The Math to $1B
Why This is Achievable
- •Winner-take-most market: Network effects and city partnerships create natural moats. First mover advantage is massive.
- •Platform economics: Marginal cost per additional city/user approaches zero. High gross margins (75%+) enable aggressive growth.
- •Multiple revenue streams: Not dependent on single business model. B2C, B2B, B2B2C, and API all contribute.
- •Precedent exists: Spotify (50M to 400M users in 8 years), Duolingo (10M to 80M in 5 years). Travel/education markets are larger.
- •Spatial AI infrastructure: Once built, applicable to infinite use cases beyond tourism. We become the OS for location-aware AI.
Go-To-Market Strategy
Dual-Brand Strategy
BEMO drives B2C growth. citypal drives B2B partnerships. Together, they create a flywheel: consumer demand attracts cities, city partnerships expand reach, reach drives more consumers.
BEMO (B2C)
Freemium app on iOS/Android. Global consumer brand focused on exploration, discovery, and curiosity.
citypal (B2B)
White-label platform for cities. Enterprise-grade infrastructure powering custom-branded experiences.
Phase 1: Foundation (H2 2025 - Q1 2026)
Technical Development
- • Complete core AI architecture and intelligence layer
- • Build city knowledge graph and content pipeline
- • Optimize audio streaming and spatial awareness
- • Internal testing and refinement
Partnership Development
- • Target 3 pilot cities: Barcelona, Edinburgh, Charleston
- • Direct outreach to tourism directors
- • Finalize partnership agreements
- • Co-create local content with partners
Phase 2: Beta & Public Launch (Q2-Q4 2026)
BEMO Beta Launch (Q2)
TestFlight beta in 3 pilot cities with 1,000 users. Gather feedback and iterate on BEMO consumer experience.
BEMO Public Launch (Q3)
iOS/Android app store launch. 5K paying subscribers target. citypal white-label deployment for pilot cities.
Marketing (Q4)
Influencer partnerships, content marketing, SEO strategy. Build brand awareness.
Phase 3: Scale (2027+)
Expand to 50+ Cities
- • Major tourist destinations (Paris, Rome, Tokyo)
- • Emerging markets (Latin America, Southeast Asia)
- • Smaller heritage towns (US National Parks, UNESCO sites)
Growth Channels
- • Performance marketing (Google, Meta, TikTok)
- • Partnerships with Airbnb, Booking.com
- • Hotel/hostel integrations
- • Educational institutions (study abroad programs)
Competitive Landscape
| Solution | Audio-First | Conversational AI | Adaptive Routes | Local Stories | White-Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| citypal (us) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Rick Steves Audio Europe | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ⚠️ | ❌ |
| Google Maps / Apple Maps | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| GetYourGuide / Viator | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ⚠️ | ❌ |
| Detour (defunct) | ✅ | ❌ | ⚠️ | ✅ | ❌ |
Meta Glasses Make Us MORE Valuable
Smart glasses and AR wearables validate our thesis: audio-first, real-time AI experiences are the future. But Meta doesn't have our content moat or city partnerships. Our strategy: complement, not compete.
Hardware Players
citypal's Role
Platform-Agnostic Strategy
✓Why We Win With AR/Wearables
- →Content Moat: City partnerships = exclusive content Meta/Apple can't replicate
- →Trust: Cities won't partner with Meta (privacy concerns). They partner with us.
- →Focus: We're 100% focused on spatial storytelling. For them, it's a feature.
- →Business Model: B2B2C with cities = revenue stream they're not pursuing
🤝Partnership Opportunity
- →"citypal-powered on Meta Ray-Ban": We provide content layer, they provide hardware
- →Revenue Share: License our spatial AI to wearable manufacturers
- →API Integration: Their visual AI + our narrative intelligence = superior product
- →Acquisition Target: If we execute well, we become strategic acquisition for Apple/Meta
Our Advantages
- ✓First-mover in conversational AI tours: No competitor has natural two-way conversation
- ✓Audio-first by design: Others are screen-first with audio bolted on
- ✓Real local partnerships: Co-created content, not scraped Wikipedia
- ✓White-label platform: Enables city partnerships competitors can't match
- ✓Privacy-first ethos: Differentiation from big tech
- ✓Platform-agnostic: Work across smartphones, smart glasses, in-car systems. Not tied to hardware.
Risks & Mitigations
Financial Projections
| Metric | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Revenue | $420K | $2.8M | $12M | $38M |
| B2C Subscriptions | $180K | $1.5M | $7M | $24M |
| B2B City Partnerships | $200K | $1M | $4M | $11M |
| B2B2C Partnerships | $40K | $300K | $1M | $3M |
| Total Costs | $1.8M | $3.5M | $8M | $20M |
| Personnel | $900K | $1.8M | $4M | $10M |
| AI Infrastructure | $400K | $800K | $1.5M | $3M |
| Marketing & Sales | $300K | $600K | $1.8M | $5M |
| Other (Legal, Ops, etc.) | $200K | $300K | $700K | $2M |
| EBITDA | -$1.38M | -$700K | +$4M | +$18M |
Team & Advisors
Founder
Liam Trampota
Product builder and technologist with deep passion for AI, cities, and human connection. Previously built consumer applications and spatial experiences. Obsessed with making technology that brings people closer to the world around them.
Key Hires (Year 1)
Roadmap & Milestones
Foundation & Development
H2 2025- ✓Complete core AI architecture
- ✓Build city content pipeline
- ✓Recruit founding team
- ✓Secure initial partnerships
Technical Validation
Q1 2026- ✓Internal testing & refinement
- ✓City knowledge graph v1
- ✓Audio streaming optimization
- ✓Partnership agreements finalized
BEMO Beta Launch
Q2 2026- ✓Launch BEMO beta in 3 pilot cities
- ✓1,000 TestFlight users
- ✓Core conversational AI v1
- ✓First citypal white-label deployment
BEMO Public Launch
Q3 2026- ✓BEMO iOS/Android app store launch
- ✓3 cities live
- ✓5K paying subscribers
- ✓Multilingual support (5 languages)
Scale & Product Evolution
Q4 2026- ✓Expand to 10 cities
- ✓20K subscribers
- ✓Offline mode
- ✓Series A fundraise preparation
International Expansion
2027- ✓50+ cities globally
- ✓European & Asian markets
- ✓12+ languages
- ✓Advanced personalization features
Investment Ask
Use of Funds
Key Milestones (18 months)
Why Now?
The convergence of accessible AI, post-pandemic tourism boom, and audio-first consumption habits creates a once-in-a-decade opportunity. We have the team, technology, and initial partnerships to capture this market before incumbents react.
Schedule a Meeting →Appendix: Additional Information
Founded: 2024
Location: San Francisco, CA
Website: citypal.com
Email: hello@citypal.com