Zonder

What Zonder does

Zonder Studios Inc. operates a consumer mobile application branded as Zonder, positioned as a city exploration game in which users physically visit real-world locations to collect points, earn XP, and level up across nine travel categories. The product is built around GPS-based location detection and is backed by a core partnership with Radar Labs, whose third-party location database of over 100 million places across 150 countries supplies the underlying collection inventory. Supporting features include a Travel Profile that tracks exploration history, a World Exploration Game mode with competitive contests and landmark tours, and a Digital Travel Companion for sharing progress. Apps are distributed globally via the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, and the company runs community engagement through a Discord server and an Explorer's Club email list.

The business operates a hybrid B2C/B2B model. On the consumer side, the app is freemium with no disclosed paid tier, generating no direct revenue today and with future monetization (premium features or virtual goods) identified as a forward-looking option. On the B2B side, the Hotel Challenges module enables hospitality venues to launch QR-code-based scavenger hunts that drive guests to on-site restaurants and bars; hotels reportedly see over 30% guest engagement and 15% revenue uplift through this mechanism. A complementary revenue stream consists of revenue-share arrangements with location partners such as Radar Labs. Pricing is custom and quote-based for B2B deals, and no public pricing or named customer logos are disclosed.

The company is privately held, bootstrapped (no outside institutional investors identified), and operates with a 1–10 person team from Ypsilanti, Michigan. Its primary distribution moat is the dual funnel in which hotel venue partnerships double as a B2B2C acquisition channel for the consumer app. Key risks include dependency on Radar Labs for location data, lack of disclosed monetization on the consumer side, and limited revenue visibility given no financial disclosures or named enterprise customers.

Name

Zonder

Legal name

Zonder Studios Inc.

Website

https://zonderapp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Zonder Studios Inc. operates a GPS-based city-exploration mobile game in which users collect points by physically visiting real-world locations, and runs a B2B Hotel Challenges module that lets hospitality venues run QR-code scavenger hunts to drive guest spending at on-site restaurants and bars.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Travel Mobile Application

NAICS

Amusement Parks and Arcades (7131)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Mobile & F2P Game Studios (MPAFAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Event Mobile Apps & Second-Screen Experiences (Agendas, Messaging, Push, Check-in) (THAHAOAG)

Keywords

• City exploration game
• Travel gamification app
• Location-based mobile game
• Hotel guest engagement
• Travel tracking software

Headquarters

HQ city

Ypsilanti

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hotel Challenges B2B Service: Hotels and venues pay for promotional placement within the Zonder game. The platform creates tourism challenges where guests scan QR codes during check-in and complete location-based tasks to earn discounts at hotel restaurants and bars. Revenue derived from venue promotional fees and increased guest spending on add-on services.
2. Consumer App (Freemium): Free mobile app for travelers with potential future monetization through premium features, virtual goods, or enhanced game experiences. Current app available at no charge for download and basic gameplay.
3. Location Data Partnership Revenue: Revenue share arrangements with location partners including Radar Labs for access to their location database features and place data.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Zonder operates a mobile city exploration game in which users collect points and earn XP by physically visiting real-world locations across 9 travel categories, building a sharable Travel Profile. The company also offers a B2B Hotel Challenges module that lets hotels and tourism venues create QR-code-based scavenger hunts to drive guests to on-site restaurants and bars.

Product overview

Zonder offers a single unified mobile application — the Zonder city exploration game — supported by two key feature sets: the World Exploration Game (competitive exploration gameplay with landmark collection and city tours) and the Digital Travel Companion (personal travel tracking and sharing). For business clients, Zonder provides the Hotel Challenges module as an add-on that enables hotels to create QR-code-based scavenger hunts that drive guests to local venues and generate restaurant/bar revenue. The product ecosystem is anchored by the consumer app available on iOS and Android, with a separate business/enterprise tier for hotel partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Zonder (Consumer App) Free mobile application (iOS and Android) that turns real-world city exploration into a game, awarding points, XP, and levels as users physically visit landmarks across 9 travel categories. Targeted at individual travelers and travel gaming enthusiasts.
• Zonder Hotel Challenges B2B offering for hotels and tourism venues that creates QR-code-based scavenger hunts driving guests to on-site restaurants and bars in exchange for discounts. Targeted at hotel operators and tourism venues seeking higher per-guest revenue.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hotels achieve >30% of guests engaging with restaurants and add-ons through challenges
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Radar Labs, Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationPrimary location data partner providing Zonder with access to Radar's third-party location database containing over 100 million collectible places across 150 countries worldwide. This partnership is essential to Zonder's core product functionality as it enables the location collection feature that powers the city exploration game.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Swarm by Foursquare: Swarm is Foursquare's consumer check-in app that rewards users for visiting locations with stickers and leaderboards, mirroring Zonder's gamified location-collection loop for similar casual-explorer users.
• Ingress by Niantic: Ingress is Niantic's flagship location-based game where players physically visit real-world locations to capture "portals" — a near-identical gameplay loop to Zonder's location collection mechanic, though with an AR-combat framing rather than travel.
• Geocaching: Geocaching is the original real-world location-based scavenger hunt with tens of millions of caches worldwide — the closest direct conceptual analog to Zonder's collect-by-visiting mechanic, with similar travel-game DNA.

Broad incumbents

• Foursquare City Guide: Foursquare pioneered the location check-in and city-discovery mechanic and supplies the underlying location data ecosystem; comparable to Zonder in user intent (explore places) but vastly broader in scope and data scale.
• Niantic (Pokémon GO, Ingress): Niantic operates the dominant AR location-based games (Pokémon GO, Ingress) with hundreds of millions of users — the broadest incumbent in the category Zonder plays in, and the most likely threat to replicate a travel-specific experience.
• Atlas Obscura: Atlas Obscura is a travel-discovery platform built around unique places and experiences worldwide, overlapping with Zonder's city-exploration value proposition but as a content/media business rather than a game.

Others

• Tripadvisor: Tripadvisor is the dominant travel-discovery platform with reviews and attraction data globally — a much broader incumbent that overlaps with Zonder on the destination-discovery use case but operates in reviews rather than gaming.
• Strava: Strava captures real-world location data from users during activities and overlays gamification (segments, leaderboards); comparable to Zonder's GPS-and-game loop but optimized for fitness rather than travel exploration.

Emerging players

• Wanderlog: Wanderlog is a travel planning and trip-tracking app that captures itineraries and visited places — a younger, more planning-focused product than Zonder but competing for the same travel-app shelf space and user intent.
• Roadtrippers: Roadtrippers helps travelers discover attractions and stops along their routes; overlaps with Zonder on the "discover places worth visiting" use case but centers road-trip planning rather than gamified exploration.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Zonderstudios
• Facebookfacebook.com/zonderapp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zonder

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Zonder