What LISNR does

LISNR is a Cincinnati-headquartered technology company founded in 2012 that develops ultrasonic data-over-sound technology for proximity detection and secure data transmission. Its flagship Radius SDK transmits small data payloads via inaudible ultrasonic tones through the standard speakers and microphones of consumer devices, operating without requiring internet connectivity, Bluetooth, NFC, or QR codes. Ranges span inches to over 30 feet across mobile (Android, iOS, React Native) and desktop (Windows, Linux, Raspberry Pi) platforms, and security is enforced through embedded ToneLock UUID signatures plus AES256 encryption across all tone profiles.

The company also operates the Quest customer engagement platform, expanded through the January 2025 acquisition of Arden Labs, which provides gamified loyalty, achievement tracking, and tokenized rewards capabilities with a public RESTful API and Clover POS integration. Monetization rests on enterprise SDK licensing (quote-based, multi-year contracts), transaction-based fees for payment verification and authentication use cases, and subscription revenue from the Quest platform. The go-to-market combines direct enterprise field sales targeting Fortune 500 organizations with an OEM/embedded distribution model where partners integrate the SDK into their consumer applications. Strategic investors include Visa, Intel, Target, Synchrony Financial, SAP, Jump Capital, and Mercury Fund.

Primary customer verticals are retail and quick-service restaurants (notably McDonald's drive-thru customer identification), digital wallets and fintech (Synchrony Financial, IDEMIA), urban mobility and transit (TransMilenio Bogota via the Nexos app, S-CUBE in India, Meep in Brazil), and automotive (Jaguar Land Rover for in-vehicle connectivity). LISNR reports operating across more than 100 countries, processing nearly 100 million cumulative transactions, and achieving approximately sixfold growth in the twelve months preceding October 2024. Recent strategic emphasis has shifted toward agentic commerce through a November 2025 partnership with Satsuma.ai and toward larger emerging-market transit deployments.

Name

LISNR

Legal name

LISNR, Inc.

Website

https://lisnr.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

LISNR is a Cincinnati-headquartered provider of ultrasonic data-over-sound technology that enables secure proximity detection and contactless transactions through a Radius SDK embedded in enterprise mobile applications, serving retail, digital wallet, transit, and automotive customers across 100+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Proximity Technology Software

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Wired and Wireless Telecommunications (except Satellite) (5171)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Communications Services, Nec (4899)

akta.pro primary industry

Geofencing, Proximity & Location-Based Engagement Platforms (BPAMANAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Data/Apps Connectivity & Adapters (Connectors, Drivers, SDKs) (HDAEAIAK), Mobility Partner Enablement & Integration Middleware (SDKs, API Gateways, Clearing) (THADALAL), Developer Tooling & SDKs for Payments (Gateway Tooling) (FSAMACAL)

Keywords

• Ultrasonic data transmission
• Proximity detection SDK
• Contactless payment technology
• Gamified loyalty platform
• Mobile authentication software

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. SDK Licensing: LISNR licenses its Radius ultrasonic SDK to enterprises for integration into their consumer applications. Companies embed the SDK into mobile apps, transit systems, or payment platforms. Revenue derived from licensing fees based on usage volume, transaction counts, or enterprise agreements.
2. Platform Subscription: Quest loyalty platform and LISNR Portal provide SaaS-based management tools for customer engagement programs, quest management, and analytics. Businesses pay subscription fees for access to the platform and API usage.
3. Transaction-based Fees: Pricing may include per-transaction fees for payment verification and authentication use cases, particularly for high-volume transit and retail deployments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

LISNR provides an ultrasonic proximity platform consisting of the Radius SDK and the Quest customer engagement platform. The Radius SDK transmits structured data payloads via inaudible ultrasonic tones between standard device speakers and microphones, enabling real-time proximity detection, secure authentication, and contactless transactions without requiring internet connectivity, Bluetooth, NFC, or QR codes. The Quest platform adds gamified loyalty, quests, achievements, and rewards, with Clover POS integration and a public RESTful API for embedding engagement functionality into custom consumer apps.

Product overview

LISNR offers an ultrasonic proximity platform spanning the full customer journey—at home, in transit, and in store. The portfolio consists of two core products: Radius® (ultrasonic data-over-sound SDK) and Quest (gamified customer engagement platform). Radius® enables real-time proximity detection, secure authentication, and data transmission using inaudible ultrasonic tones via speakers and microphones, requiring no internet, Bluetooth, NFC, or QR codes. Quest provides gamified loyalty and engagement capabilities with a RESTful API for integration. The two products are designed to work together—Radius handles presence detection and secure verification while Quest powers gamified loyalty experiences, unified customer profiles, and rewards management. Additional add-on modules for Radius include Transaction Control (multi-channel transmission), Fraud Control (ToneLock™ and AES256 encryption), UX Control (callbacks and indicators), and Data Control (volume locking and analytics).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Radius: Ultrasonic proximity SDK that enables real-time proximity detection and secure data transmission using speakers and microphones without requiring internet connectivity, Bluetooth, NFC, or QR codes.
• Quest

Products and services

• Radius Ultrasonic SDK LISNR's ultrasonic data-over-audio SDK enabling real-time proximity detection and secure data transmission using speakers and microphones, operating without internet connectivity, Bluetooth, NFC, or QR codes. Supports Android, iOS, React Native, Linux, Windows, and Raspberry Pi and is licensed to enterprises for embedding into their consumer applications.
• Quest Customer Engagement Platform Gamified customer loyalty and engagement platform that enables businesses to create customizable achievements, quests, and rewards. Powers gamified loyalty programs integrated with Clover POS and accessible via a public RESTful API for embedding into custom consumer apps.

Quantifiable outcome

• 7.5% Quest-attributable lift for customer engagement programs
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability4 records

Feature11 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and regional.

• Satsuma.aiflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 November 2025Strategic partnership to enable agentic commerce across in-store, out-of-store, and on-the-go experiences. LISNR provides location-aware identity verification while Satsuma.ai provides agentic orchestration for LLM-powered agents to work with retailer loyalty, catalog, and ordering systems. Targets the projected $175B agentic commerce market by 2030.
• PEM Media AgencycoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 30 June 2025Launched Nexos app for Bogotá's TransMilenio BRT system reaching 2.5 million daily riders. PEM leverages LISNR's Radius ultrasonic technology to deliver real-time, location-aware promotions without Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or QR codes. PEM brings 250+ client relationships to the partnership.
• Arden LabsflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 January 2025Acquisition of Arden Labs' gamified consumer engagement platform. Combined product creates unified proximity commerce offering with gamified loyalty, personalization, and tokenized rewards. Arden was trusted by leading restaurants and retailers, accepted into NVIDIA's accelerator, Chainlink accelerator, and Google Cloud's web3 program.
• S-CUBE (Satyam Software Solutions)coreTechnology or Integration · 30 July 2024Strategic partnership to advance high-speed transit technologies in India using ultrasonic. LISNR's Radius SDK integrated into S-CUBE's automatic fare collection systems for enhanced mobile ticketing, payments, and BIBO capabilities in Delhi, Mumbai, and Jaipur, with plans to expand globally.
• MeepcoreTechnology or Integration · 13 June 2024Advanced ultrasonic ticketing validation solution for Be-In-Be-Out (BIBO) multimodal travel. Enables seamless boarding and efficient ticket validation for transit operators and users. Features offline data transmission, fraud prevention, and real-time ticket validation.
• Beame Technologies (BeamPay)regionalTechnology or Integration · 1 October 2023Partnership to expand digital financial inclusion in Cabo Verde, Africa. LISNR's ultrasonic proximity verification integrated into BeamPay wallet ecosystem for consumer and merchant mobile authentication and payments, enabling peer-to-peer transactions, cross-border transactions, and offline payments.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• HID Global: HID Global provides identity, access, and contactless authentication solutions across physical and digital security markets. It is a named LISNR technology partner (IDEMIA cited IDEMIA, a peer player in identity verification) and competes for proximity-based identity and authentication use cases in regulated industries.
• Yotpo: Yotpo provides a customer content, loyalty, and SMS-marketing platform widely adopted in retail and direct-to-consumer brands. Its loyalty product competes with LISNR's Quest platform for the same enterprise engagement budgets even though Yotpo does not use ultrasonic technology.
• Punchh (Block): Punchh, now part of Block, is a leading restaurant loyalty and customer-engagement platform used by major QSR and casual-dining chains. It directly competes with LISNR Quest + Arden Labs for McDonald's-style QSR loyalty and gamification programs.
• Cubic Transportation Systems: Cubic provides large-scale fare-collection and transit ticketing systems for major metro and BRT operators globally. It is a likely incumbent counterpart to LISNR's S-CUBE and Meep transit partnerships, competing for the same Be-In-Be-Out and mobile-ticketing procurement decisions.
• Shopkick (Trax): Shopkick (acquired by Trax) operates a major location-based retail engagement platform rewarding customers for in-store visits and purchases. It overlaps with LISNR's retail customer-identification and gamification stack at the use-case layer, though with different proximity mechanics.

Emerging players

• Blesh: Blesh provides BLE-based proximity marketing and in-store analytics for retailers using battery-powered beacons. It targets many of the same retail and proximity-engagement use cases as LISNR, substituting BLE for ultrasonic and competing for the same enterprise buyer budget.
• Swarm Data / Swirl Networks: Swirl pioneered BLE-based in-store marketing and proximity analytics for retailers, overlaying mobile engagement onto existing apps. Like LISNR it sells directly into retail marketing teams seeking to detect presence and trigger content, with a different underlying RF technology.

Direct peers

• Sonitor Technologies: Sonitor develops ultrasonic indoor positioning and real-time location systems for hospitals, industrial, and retail environments using high-frequency sound waves. Like LISNR, it commercializes ultrasonic-based proximity detection to provide location-aware identification without BLE or RFID hardware dependencies.
• Estimote: Estimote builds BLE beacons and a software platform for proximity, presence detection, and contextual engagement in retail and workplace environments. It is the most direct alternative to LISNR for proximity-based customer identification and loyalty, competing on hardware-required deployments rather than ultrasonic software-only integration.
• Chirp (now Sonde Health-adjacent technology): Chirp pioneered data-over-audio transmission protocols transmitting data via ultrasonic tones on standard hardware. It was LISNR's closest technology analog in the data-over-sound category and competed directly for proximity, payments, and authentication pilots before scaling back.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lisnr
• GitHubgithub.com/LISNR
• Facebookfacebook.com/getlisnr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/2787363
• Instagraminstagram.com/getlisnr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds9 records

Investors22 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about LISNR