AUSTIN – Less than four months after its launch in Austin, Localeur last week announced it was named one of the top startups to watch in Austin. The Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce and SXSW Interactive compile the A-List with insight from venture capitalists, private equity and angel investors around the country.
“It’s such a privilege to be named to this summer’s A-List just a few months after our launch and before any VC funding,” said Joah Spearman, co-founder and CEO. “This is a great sign for our growth and early traction, and a testament to our commitment to being a key player in the Austin entrepreneurial community.”
The 19 members of the 2013 A-List represent key sectors of innovation spanning life sciences, business analytics, mobile and lifestyle applications and include some of Austin’s best-known B2B startups such as Adometry, Mass Relevance, RetailMeNot and Spredfast. Members of the 2012 A-List have received a combined $57.7 million in investment since its announcement in October.
Localeur launched in Austin on March 1 just before SXSW Interactive and expanded to include Houstonas well on June 1. The company curates recommendations on places to eat, drink and hang out from Millennials in cities to help travelers experience new cities like locals.
Since launch, the startup has experienced considerable growth in traffic, visitor time on site and pages per visit, and is currently working on its iPhone app to meet high demand it’s getting through its Web-based app. The startup plans to expand into at least two more markets in the coming months in an effort to bring even more value to travelers who have taken to the concept of relying on curated, local recommendations.
Thus far, Localeur has raised $250,000 in angel funding and believes its diverse mix of well-connected investors will help it expand into new markets in 2013 following the close of a Seed round, which they are currently raising with angels and venture capitalists between Austin and New York.
Before Localeur, Spearman co-founded an experiential marketing agency, which counted ESPN X Games as a client, and led Bazaarvoice’s market strategy in travel. The Capital City African American Chamber of Commerce named him Emerging Business Leader of the Year this year. White previously coordinated product design for Bazaarvoice retail and brand clients for online user-generated content programs, and earlier taught social media and entrepreneurship to students at Duke University as part of its Talent Identification Program.
