About

Culture App is travel tech company that provides all the necessary tools for tourist guides and travelers to facilitate the touring experience, whether from home or at the location. We are connecting heritage sites, technology and people through a web platform and a mobile application. The platform offers tour guides the opportunity for remote live guided virtual tours all through the year. Remote virtual self-guided tours are also available to the travelers. The platform also works as a booking engine for tour guides. The mobile app uses the emerging augmented & virtual reality technologies allowing travelers to explore the heritage site in a new more exciting way. For tourist guides this is an interactive tool that offers extra visual commentary to their storytelling.

Solution & Product

We have identified four main problems regarding the touring experience: - At first, the partial or complete destruction of the heritage sites makes it difficult for travelers to understand their value. - Second, tour guides rely only on words to share their stories. - Third, there is no easy way to visit the sites remotely. - Last, covid-19 has exacerbated the income seasonality for the tour guides and has affected the travelers’ behavior. Culture App offers an innovative and digitalized solution. - We have created rich content for the heritage sites including 3D models, 360⁰ representations, HD photos, text, audio and interactive maps in their current form but also at their prime time in the past. The content is available to tour guides and travelers from the web platform and the application. - The platform offers tour guides the opportunity for remote live-guided virtual tours all through the year. Remote virtual self-guided tours are also available to the travelers. - The platform also works as a booking engine for tourist guides. - The mobile app uses the emerging augmented and virtual technologies allowing travelers to explore the heritage site in a new more exciting way. For tourist guides this is an interactive tool that offers extra visual commentary to their storytelling.

Innovation & Scalability

Culture App uses technology to solve the problems of cultural tourism through the utilization of augmented reality, virtual reality and web technologies (web platform & mobile app). The platform offers the option for remote live guided and non-guided virtual tours, when physical access is constrained, thus making cultural tourism more accessible. It also offers the tourist guides potential extra income all through the year. Without any additional equipment other than the travelers’ smartphone, the mobile app empower travelers to access the digital library (3D models, reconstructions, audio, text, maps etc) and enhance understanding and value of the historic location. In addition, tourist guides are offered a useful tool for a more interactive storytelling and overall experience. Our concept is eminently scalable across multiple change vectors due to its technological nature. The Culture App software development ensures automation and profitability while keeping the expenses low. The initial capital investment for the development of the concept architecture has been allocated. This offers the opportunity to expand in numerous locations at a much lower cost.

Traction & achievements

2019: - Launch of our mobile app MVP early summer of 2019 - Commencement of the digitization for five heritage sites 2020: - Launch of the alpha version of the mobile app summer of 2020 - Inauguration of the web platform late 2020 2021: - We launched the alpha and beta versions of the web platform & the mobile app respectively - Commencement of the live guided tour project late summer of 2021 2022: - We launched the updated beta version for the mobile app - Commencement of the digitization for two more heritage sites

Team & Why Us

The team is comprised from a group of technology enthusiasts and experienced tourism & technology professionals. The Culture App is an evidence-based multidisciplinary collaboration of a consultancy group of experts from tourism, computer science, archaeology, architecture, history, but also curators, creative artists and tourist guides. Find below short bios of the founders: Konstantinos came up with the initial idea of the concept. He holds an MSc degree and brings to the team a diverse set of skills due to his work experience in different fields and countries. He acts as the operations manager of the company focusing on the R&D of the product. Marina has 15 years experience in the tourism industry. She holds a PhD and brings to the team the in-depth knowledge and understanding of the industry along with her vast field experience. She is the marketing manager of the company. Tasso has a strong background in software development and engineering. Due to his professional experience he serves as a consultant in the research and development of the concept.

Funding Needs

Culture App is currently not actively looking for funding since the company has secured sufficient funds to finance its growth for the first two phases of the project. However, we will be looking for funding in mid 2023 for the expansion of the project.