You. Smart. Thing.

What You. Smart. Thing. does

You. Smart. Thing. (YST) is a Birmingham, UK-headquartered B2B SaaS company that operates a travel demand management platform for destinations, venues, and live events. Founded in 2014 by Chris Thompson, the platform delivers personalised, low-carbon multi-modal journey planning to visitors at sporting events, festivals, cultural venues, conferences, and destination management organisations, replacing ad-hoc use of generic mapping services with venue-aware, configurable routing that captures visitor travel intent and emission data. The customer base spans marquee sporting properties (London Marathon Events, Manchester City FC, The R&A's The Open, Wimbledon, New York Mets, Lancashire Cricket Club, Edgbaston Stadium, Edgbaston, UTMB, Great North Run, Dubai Desert Classic), live entertainment (Live Nation, Co-op Live, Birmingham Hippodrome), public-sector transport (Transport for Greater Manchester Bee Network, Transport for West Midlands), and UK destination management organisations (Visit Coventry, Visit Cornwall, VisitLakeDistrict, Visit Belfast, Visit Manchester, Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture).

The cloud-hosted platform, running on Digital Ocean infrastructure with Microsoft, Linux, Docker, MongoDB and Gravitee components, centres on a map-based travel assistant that requires no download and is embedded directly into client websites, mobile apps, ticket booking systems, and CRM touchpoints as a fully white-labelled experience. Core technical components include a proprietary consent matrix and API architecture enabling "digital handshake" integrations, configurable multi-modal routing across walk, cycle, scoot, bus, metro, train, fly, and drive, real-time travel alerts with a disclosed 67% engagement rate, accessibility features such as step-free routing and assistance requests, and an analytics suite reporting CO2e and modal split. Differentiated offerings include the EnRoute content-driven travel module (developed with Birmingham Hippodrome via Innovate UK's DCMS Create Growth Programme), the UTMB GO Travel Assistant configuration with ballot-boost incentives, SmartCoach for rail replacement scenarios, RouteMAIT for emergency-response routing under the SIREN UK Consortium, plus named integrations with CUR8 (carbon removal), Skyscanner (live flight data), Big Green Coach, TfGM Bee Network, and onboard:earth.

YST earns revenue through three streams: SaaS platform subscription licensing on annual quote-based contracts reflecting deployment scope and audience scale, professional services for bespoke configuration and implementation, and transaction fees on carbon removal credit purchases through the CUR8 integration. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales anchored by a "Book a Demo" funnel, supplemented by channel partnerships with transport operators and DMOs who embed the assistant within their platforms, and product-led growth via live demos of the travel assistant at industry events including The Events Summit, Venues Day, BASIS Sustainable Sport, MEI Hosts & Federations, and Simpleview EMEA. As of 2024 the company had raised £1.2 million in seed funding led by West Midlands Co-Investment Fund with Ecotricity and angel participation, and serves clients in the UK, EMEA, North America, and the Middle East.

Name

You. Smart. Thing.

Legal name

You. Smart. Thing. Limited

Website

https://yousmartthing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

You. Smart. Thing. is a UK-based B2B SaaS travel demand management platform that delivers personalised low-carbon multi-modal journey planning to destinations, venues, and live events, integrating with transport operators, ticket systems, and carbon removal providers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Travel Demand Management Software

NAICS

Travel Agencies (561510)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Itinerary Management & Trip Collaboration Apps (THALAMAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Integrations, APIs & Automation (Middleware/iPaaS) (THALAMAN), Meetings & Group Travel Management (Corporate/MICE) (THALANAH)

Keywords

• Travel demand management
• Sustainable travel planning
• Event travel platform
• Multimodal journey planning
• Visitor travel analytics

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

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. SaaS Platform Licensing: Software-as-a-Service platform licensing for travel demand management. Organisations pay for access to the Travel Assistant, configuration dashboard, and analytics suite. Deployed across destinations, venues, events, and local authorities globally.
2. Professional Services: Implementation, configuration, and support services for bespoke travel assistant deployments. Includes Client Development team support for deployment setup, timing, messaging, and best practice sharing.
3. Carbon Removal Transaction: Platform facilitates carbon removal credit purchases through CUR8 integration, generating transaction-based revenue from the difference between market rates and portfolio pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

You. Smart. Thing. operates a cloud-based travel demand management platform for destinations, venues, and live events. It delivers personalised low-carbon door-to-door travel plans via a map-based, web-embedded Travel Assistant (no download required), supported by a Configuration Dashboard for client setup and an Analytics Suite for CO2e emissions, modal split, and visitor travel insights. The platform integrates with CRM, ticket booking systems, transport operators, Skyscanner, and carbon removal providers, and is offered as a white-label, embeddable SaaS solution deployed across sporting events, festivals, conferences, and cultural venues.

Product overview

You. Smart. Thing. is the leading travel demand management platform for destinations, venues, and live events. The platform comprises three core components: the visitor-facing Travel Assistant interface (an easily embedded web-based travel assistant requiring no downloads), the Travel Assistant Configuration Dashboard (intuitive setup and management for clients), and the Analytics Suite (capturing and reporting visitor travel data including CO2e emissions and modal split). The platform integrates with CUR8 and onboard:earth for carbon removal services, Skyscanner for live flight data, and supports CRM integration for automated personalised travel plan generation. Additional offerings include EnRoute for live events, UTMB GO Travel Assistant for major international events, RouteMAIT for emergency planning, SmartCoach for rail replacement, white labelling, and multi-lingual support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Travel Assistant Platform Cloud-based, web-embedded travel demand management platform that delivers personalised low-carbon door-to-door travel plans to visitors via a map-based interface. Configurable multi-modal routing covers walk, cycle, scoot, bus, metro, train, fly, and drive modes, with content-enhanced wayfinding to specified venue access points. Designed for enterprise deployment by destinations, venues, and event organisers.
• Travel Assistant Configuration Dashboard Intuitive configuration dashboard enabling organisations to set up and manage travel assistant deployments, including messaging, deployment timing, and best-practice sharing via the Client Development team.
• Travel Analytics Suite Data analytics suite capturing visitor travel insights including CO2e emissions tracking, modal split analysis, and travel demand metrics for sustainability and operational reporting.
• EnRoute Content-driven travel innovation for live events and cultural venues that links personalised low-carbon travel planning with creative digital content; exclusive content is unlocked when users choose lower-carbon travel options. Pilot launched with Birmingham Hippodrome; early modelling suggests ~20% increase in public and active transport uptake.
• UTMB GO Travel Assistant Specialised Travel Assistant configuration for Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc supporting registration lottery with low-carbon travel nudges, ballot boost incentives for green travel, and per-participant carbon offset calculations.
• RouteMAIT Multi-Agency Incident Transfer protocol routing tool for emergency responders providing adaptive routes that respond to MAIT messages, fusing models and sensor evidence to incorporate debris hazards and road state data. Part of SIREN UK Consortium initiative.
• SmartCoach Accessible passenger information solution for rail replacement scenarios, providing real-time service information to passengers during planned and unplanned rail disruption.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30% reduction in visitor CO2e emissions through modal choice influence
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers20 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

Integration7 records

AI capability6 records

Feature11 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• London Marathon EventsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for sustainable travel solutions across LME events including TCS London Marathon and Vitality London 10,000. LME targeting net-zero by 2030 with YST supporting travel sustainability and CUR8 carbon offsetting.
• CUR8coreTechnology or IntegrationCarbon removal integration enabling visitors to purchase carbon removal credits to neutralise travel emissions. YST-CUR8 integration first deployed with London Marathon Events, now available to all YST clients.
• Birmingham HippodromecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPilot partner for EnRoute innovation developed through Innovate UK DCMS Create Growth Programme. Cultural venue demonstrating content-driven sustainable audience travel with digital content integration.
• Big Green CoachcoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with official event coach partner Big Green Coach. Carbon-neutral coach travel now fully integrated into YST platform for events like Oasis Heaton Park concerts.
• SkyscannercoreTechnology or IntegrationLive flight engine integration presenting real-time flight options for international travel. Captures flight emissions data and prioritises direct flights where long-haul is unavoidable.
• SIREN UK ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerITEA-sponsored and Innovate UK-funded consortium developing RouteMAIT emergency routing tool. YST contributes travel expertise for multi-agency incident response.
• University of LeedsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for SIREN RouteMAIT co-creation workshop exploring emergency routing and incident response. Academic partnership for research collaboration.
• Transport for West MidlandscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead partner in CAM4EVENTS feasibility study exploring autonomous vehicles for event transport. TfWM contributing expertise on connected and automated mobility.
• AJW ExperienceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in CAM4EVENTS study contributing event operations expertise. Experience with event transportation solutions and customer experience.
• onboard:earthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharity partnership for ecosystem restoration donations. Visitors can offset unavoidable travel emissions through Trees+ programme supporting global environmental projects.
• Arriva UK TrainscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerR&D partnership since 2015 developing MyJrny personal travel assistant and intelligent mobility solutions through RSSB FutureRailways programme.
• Rail Safety Standards Board (RSSB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerR&D collaboration on rail industry innovation. YST participated in TOC'15 competition through FutureRailways programme developing passenger experience enhancements.
• Rail Delivery GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerR&D partnership on rail industry data and passenger services. Part of ongoing research collaboration since 2015.
• West Midlands Combined AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership on transport innovation and travel demand management. Investment from West Midlands Co-Investment Fund reinforces regional partnership.
• Transport for LondonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerR&D partnership on intelligent mobility and passenger information. Part of YST's public sector client base since 2015.
• Halo SolutionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for safer, smarter journeys. Combined expertise in event safety and sustainable travel planning.
• Transport for Greater ManchestercoreTechnology or IntegrationTfGM Bee Network journey planner deployment. Integration extends YST reach to Greater Manchester's transport network for visitors and residents.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Citymapper: Citymapper provides multi-modal door-to-door journey planning across urban transport modes. It is comparable to YST because both deliver personalised, multi-modal travel plans at scale; however, Citymapper is consumer-led whereas YST is white-labelled for venues and events.
• Rome2Rio: Rome2Rio is a global multi-modal journey planner combining ground, rail, air and ferry options. It is comparable to YST because both aggregate multi-modal transport options into door-to-door plans and serve travellers planning trips to events and destinations, though Rome2Rio is consumer-facing and less specialised for venues.
• Transit App: Transit App is a real-time multi-modal urban transit planner popular in North America. It is comparable to YST because both deliver personalised multi-modal journey planning with integrated modes, though Transit App is consumer-led and YST is white-labelled for venue/event customers.

Broad incumbents

• Moovit: Moovit (owned by Intel) is a leading urban mobility-as-a-service platform with live transit data across hundreds of cities. It is comparable to YST as a broader incumbent in multi-modal journey planning, but operates at city-wide consumer scale rather than for individual venues and events.
• Google Maps: Google Maps is the dominant consumer mapping and transit platform globally. It is comparable to YST as a broader incumbent alternative for journey planning, but lacks YST's venue-specific configurable routing, GDPR consent layer, and event-specific demand management functionality.

Emerging players

• TravelPerk: TravelPerk is a fast-growing B2B corporate travel management and booking platform. It is comparable to YST as a fellow B2B travel software platform, though TravelPerk focuses on corporate booking and expense workflows while YST focuses on visitor travel for venues and events.
• Spotnana: Spotnana is a B2B travel-as-a-service platform serving large enterprises and TMCs. It is comparable to YST as a technology-first travel platform with APIs and integrations, but targets corporate managed travel rather than destination/event visitor travel.

Regional players

• Cvent: Cvent is a leading meetings, events and hospitality management platform headquartered in the US. It is comparable to YST because both serve the events and MICE vertical, but Cvent focuses on event registration, venue sourcing and attendee management while YST focuses on attendee travel planning.

Others

• Trainline: Trainline is Europe's leading independent rail and coach booking platform. It is comparable to YST as an adjacent rail/coach distribution partner (similar to Big Green Coach integrations) but focuses on ticketing transactions rather than visitor demand management for venues.
• Skyscanner: Skyscanner is a global flight, hotel and car-hire meta-search platform and a stated YST integration partner. It is comparable as an adjacent ecosystem player providing live flight inventory that YST embeds, but competes only indirectly as Skyscanner is consumer-facing with broader travel scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/YouSmartThing
• Facebookfacebook.com/YouSmartThing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yousmartthing
• Instagraminstagram.com/yousmartthing

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about You. Smart. Thing.