Step
Step: Your World is a London-based iOS mobile platform, founded in 2019, that connects cultural influencers with users seeking curated place-based recommendations across global cities. Creators monetize via 1/3/12-month subscriptions, with Step taking a 30% commission processed through Stripe.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Step does
Step Digital London Limited, trading as "Step: Your World," is a London-based, founder-led mobile platform founded in 2019 that connects cultural influencers with users seeking authentic, place-based recommendations. The iOS app allows users to discover, save, and share recommendations curated by named creators across categories including eat, drink, shop, stay, health, and culture. Creators — including chefs, fashion designers, models, and editorial figures based in cities such as London, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Toronto, Milan, NYC, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Kyoto, and Mexico City — are recruited via a waitlist application process and organize their content into city guides within the app.
The underlying product is a consumer iOS application distributed through the Apple App Store (App ID 1474971037), with GPS-based location services enabling place-based recommendations. An Android version is under development, and the company has registered the "Step: Your World" and Step logo trade marks across multiple jurisdictions. Backend tooling for creators includes wallet/payout management, content customization, and analytics. Stripe is the sole payment processing partner, supporting USD, GBP, and EURO subscriptions paid via Apple Pay or major credit cards.
Step operates a marketplace-style revenue model with two streams: a 30% commission on all creator subscription payments (including processing fees) and the creator-set subscription fees themselves. Creators choose 1-month, 3-month, or 12-month subscription pricing, and may also offer paid unlockable content within their profiles. End customers split into two primary personas: cultural influencers/creators (the supply side, monetizing their cultural expertise) and culture enthusiasts/travelers (the demand side, seeking curated local recommendations). The company has 1–10 employees, no disclosed funding rounds, and no institutional investors referenced in available data.
Step firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Step
- Legal name
- Step Digital London Limited
- Website
- https://stepyourworld.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Step: Your World is a London-based iOS mobile platform, founded in 2019, that connects cultural influencers with users seeking curated place-based recommendations across global cities. Creators monetize via 1/3/12-month subscriptions, with Step taking a 30% commission processed through Stripe.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Step industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Creator Content Marketplace
- akta.pro primary industry
- Marketplace & On-Demand Platform Recommendations (rideshare, delivery, services) (HDAAAGAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Travel, Hospitality & Local Discovery Recommendations (HDAAAGAG), Topic/Interest-Based Content Discovery Apps (MPACAKAB), Destination/Activity Booking Marketplaces (Tours & Tickets Aggregators) (THAKAAAH)
Keywords
Where Step is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Step business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Subscription commission (Platform fee): Step charges creators a 30% commission on all subscription payments made by subscribers. This includes all payment processing fees. The remaining 70% goes to the creator. Creators can set their own subscription prices in USD, GBP, or EURO. Payments are processed monthly through Stripe.
- Creator subscription fees: Creators set subscription fees for access to their profiles and content. Subscribers pay recurring fees for 1-month, 3-month, or 12-month periods to unlock and view creator profiles.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | 1-month subscription to unlock a creator's profile |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | 3-month subscription to unlock a creator's profile |
| Subscription | Annual | 12-month subscription to unlock a creator's profile |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Step product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Step (legally Step Digital London Limited) operates "Step: Your World," an iOS mobile app that connects cultural influencers ("Culture Curators") with end users seeking authentic place-based recommendations for cities worldwide. Creators publish curated recommendations organized by location and category (eat, drink, shop, stay, health, culture), which subscribers unlock by purchasing 1-month, 3-month, or 12-month subscriptions priced by the creators. Step monetizes by retaining a 30% commission on all subscription transactions, processed via Stripe.
Product overview
Step: Your World is a mobile app platform that connects cultural influencers (creators) with users seeking authentic place-based recommendations. The core product consists of the Step: Your World mobile app for iOS, through which users can discover and subscribe to creator profiles offering curated city guides. Creators monetize through a subscription model (1, 3, or 12-month plans) and optional unlockable content, with Step taking a 30% commission. Content covers eat, drink, shop, stay, health, and culture categories. The platform is currently iOS-only with Android support under development.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Step: Your World Mobile App iOS mobile application that enables individual users to discover, save, and share place-based recommendations from cultural curators, organized as city guides covering eat, drink, shop, stay, health, and culture categories.
- Step Creator Tools Backend creator platform for cultural influencers to build and monetize a public profile, publish place-based city guides with images and commentary, set subscription pricing, manage payouts via Stripe, and view analytics.
Companies that use Step
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Step technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Feature3 records
Step partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- StripecoreStripe is the primary payment provider for Step's platform. It handles all payment processing for subscriber-creator transactions. Creators are required to register with Stripe to receive payments. Step uses Stripe's payment infrastructure to collect, hold and process subscription payments and applicable VAT. The platform supports payments via Apple Pay and major credit cards processed through Stripe.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Step competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Infatuation: Editorial-led restaurant and city recommendation platform with strong critic voices. Closely comparable to Step's trusted-creator city guide model, though it remains free and ad/sponsorship-funded rather than subscription-based.
- Spotted by Locals: City guides written by verified locals covering eat/drink/shop/culture categories. Nearly identical conceptual model to Step's per-city, per-curator approach.
- Atlas Obscura: Curated discovery platform for unique, culturally interesting places worldwide with a strong editorial voice. Comparable on curation-first, place-based discovery but monetizes via experiences and content rather than creator subscriptions.
- Resy: Restaurant discovery and booking app with editorial notes from trusted writers. Comparable overlap on curated place recommendations, with a transactional booking layer Step does not yet have.
- Thatch: Travel platform where creators/local experts share personalized city and trip recommendations for travelers. Closest functional analog to Step's subscription-based creator curation model in the travel space.
- Cereal: Independent travel and lifestyle publication known for curated city guides with strong visual design. Comparable on aesthetic, curated city-guide format, though delivered as magazine/media rather than an interactive app.
Broad incumbents
- Yelp: Mass-market place discovery and review platform with global coverage. Competes for the same end-user behavior (find places to eat/drink/visit) but relies on user-generated reviews rather than paid curators.
- Tripadvisor: Largest travel review and discovery platform worldwide. Overlaps on place-based discovery but competes on breadth of free UGC rather than curated creator content.
- Google Maps: Default place-discovery surface for billions of users with lists, reviews, and photos. Sets the baseline expectation for free, instant place discovery that Step must overcome with a paid curation wedge.
- Pinterest: Visual discovery and 'save for later' platform heavily used for places, restaurants and travel inspiration. Competes for the same 'save places you love' use case that Step explicitly markets.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Step social profiles
Digital presenceStep financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Step leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Step funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Step M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Step
What does Step do?
Step (legally Step Digital London Limited) operates "Step: Your World," an iOS mobile app that connects cultural influencers ("Culture Curators") with end users seeking authentic place-based recommendations for cities worldwide. Creators publish curated recommendations organized by location and category (eat, drink, shop, stay, health, culture), which subscribers unlock by purchasing 1-month, 3-month, or 12-month subscriptions priced by the creators. Step monetizes by retaining a 30% commission on all subscription transactions, processed via Stripe.
Is Step a public or private company?
Step is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Step founded?
Step was founded in 2019. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Step based?
Step is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Step make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Subscription commission (Platform fee) is the primary driver. The others are creator subscription fees.
Who are Step's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Infatuation, Spotted by Locals, Atlas Obscura, Resy, Thatch and Cereal. Broad incumbents are Yelp, Tripadvisor, Google Maps and Pinterest.
Does Step have an API?
No public API is recorded for Step.
What industry is Step in?
Step's product category is Creator Content Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAAAGAK, Marketplace & On-Demand Platform Recommendations (rideshare, delivery, services), with a secondary code of HDAAAGAG, Travel, Hospitality & Local Discovery Recommendations.