In the beginning…

In late 2012, I left a cozy six-figure job at a public tech company to pursue an idea I thought would make something I cared a lot about better: travel. I noticed that you could easily go online and find reviews from anonymous strangers and you could easily find suggestions for where tourists should go, but finding authentic insight from locals was challenging and time-consuming. I wrote down the names of 12 former bosses, mentors, former professors, friends and clients (of my former social media consulting business) and pitched them on the idea that would become Localeur. Thankfully, eight of these people invested. By March 1, 2013, Localeur.com was live with authentic recommendations from a dozen of my friends in Austin, TX.

Relevant Press on Localeur

• Inc. Magazine

• The Today Show

• CrunchBase

• Parade Magazine

• Black Enterprise

• Washington Post

• LA Times 

Along the way…

I launched Localeur with the same naïveté and hubris that many startup founders had. I quickly realized that the combination of not living in Silicon Valley, not having an Ivy League degree, not having family connections or wealth, and not being a white or Asian male were going to make it nearly impossible for me (statistically speaking and anecdotally experienced) to secure funding from institutional venture capital firms. So I pivoted. Fast forward seven years, and Localeur is one of the only startups in history with a black founder-CEO that has raised $5 million…and I did it without VCs. Relying on a network built over decades - from high school and college to jobs in D.C. and consulting in Austin - I have been able to secure the support of more than 100 angel investors from former Facebook execs and public company CEOs to five angel groups in Texas and a syndicate of Hong Kong businessmen.

Here we are…

Localeur is the world’s best and most authentic community of locals whom share recommendations on their favorite local places to eat, drink and play in 200 cities around the world. We’ve partnered with companies ranging from Nike, JetBlue and Match.com to Bonobos, RVShare and HotelTonight. We have a lean approach, burn less cash in a year than many Silicon Valley startups in a month, and we’ve built one of the most diverse and inclusive teams, investor rosters and advisory boards in tech.

Subscribe to Localeur today for personalized recs on where to eat, drink and play in over 200 cities around the world.