Marco Polo
Marco Polo is a solo-developed iOS app by Toronto-based creator Matt Wiechec that helps consumers locate misplaced iPhones, iPads, and iPod touch devices by shouting a customizable trigger phrase and receiving an audible response from the device.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersToronto, Canada
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Marco Polo does
Marco Polo is a privately held, solo-developed iOS application created by Toronto-based developer Matt Wiechec (@mattwiechec) that helps users locate misplaced iPhones, iPads, and iPod touch devices by voice. The core product continuously monitors the device microphone for a configurable trigger phrase (default "MARCO!") and responds by playing a customizable audio reply (default "POLO!"). The app is engineered to function in sleep mode, silent mode, and low-volume states, and includes a Volume Boost feature to maximize audible output for distant retrieval. Supplementary capabilities include over 30 character voice options, push notifications that illuminate the screen for dark-environment finding, and a Bluetooth Low Energy-based Nearby Widget in iOS Notification Center that allows users to discover and trigger responses on other Marco Polo devices within range without microphone access.
The product is distributed exclusively through Apple's iOS App Store under a product-led growth model, with no direct sales force, enterprise channel, or reseller relationships. Marketing is constrained to the product website (findmarcopolo.com), App Store discoverability, and social sharing buttons for Facebook and Twitter/X. The revenue model is described as one-time licensing via App Store sales, though specific pricing is not publicly disclosed on the company website. The company has no disclosed institutional investors, partnerships, patents, awards, corporate structure beyond a sole proprietorship, or employees beyond the founder.
Marco Polo has remained a single-purpose consumer utility for over a decade with no disclosed expansion into adjacent product categories, geographies beyond the global App Store footprint, or enterprise offerings. No company history timeline, founding date, legal entity name, or financial metrics are publicly disclosed, and the absence of any funding rounds or M&A activity indicates the product has been sustained organically by the creator.
Marco Polo firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Marco Polo
- Website
- https://findmarcopolo.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Marco Polo is a solo-developed iOS app by Toronto-based creator Matt Wiechec that helps consumers locate misplaced iPhones, iPads, and iPod touch devices by shouting a customizable trigger phrase and receiving an audible response from the device.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Marco Polo is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Toronto
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Marco Polo business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- App Store Sales: Revenue generated from iOS app sales through Apple's App Store distribution channel. The app is available for download from the App Store with a free or paid model.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | App available on iOS App Store |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Marco Polo product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Marco Polo is a voice-activated iOS mobile application that helps users locate a misplaced iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. The app listens through the device microphone for a configurable trigger phrase (default "MARCO!") and responds with a customizable audio reply ("POLO!") to make the device easy to find, even when the device is in sleep or silent mode.
Product overview
Marco Polo is a single-purpose iOS app designed to help users locate a misplaced iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch by voice. The core product listens through the device microphone for a configurable trigger phrase (default 'MARCO!') and responds with a customizable reply ('POLO!'). The app is distributed as a standalone iOS application with several integrated features including a Notification Center widget for finding nearby devices, over 30 character voice options for customizing responses, volume boost capability, and a Bluetooth Low Energy-based discovery mode that works without microphone access.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Marco Polo iOS App Voice-activated iOS application for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users that listens for a configurable trigger phrase and responds with a customizable audio reply, allowing users to locate a misplaced device by shouting. Works in sleep and silent modes and includes an iOS 8 Notification Center widget for finding nearby devices via Bluetooth Low Energy.
Companies that use Marco Polo
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Marco Polo technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Marco Polo partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Marco Polo competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Tile: Tile is a Bluetooth-based lost-item finder network. While Tile focuses on dedicated hardware trackers, the underlying category — finding misplaced devices and items using BLE-based discovery — directly overlaps with Marco Polo's Nearby Widget functionality and the broader problem the app solves.
- Pebblebee: Pebblebee produces Bluetooth and crowd-GPS item trackers with a companion app. It competes in the same 'find your lost device' category as Marco Polo and uses the same BLE-based discovery paradigm that Marco Polo's Nearby Extension is built on.
- Chipolo: Chipolo makes Bluetooth trackers and a companion app for finding phones, keys, and wallets. Its 'find your phone' feature (ringing the phone from a Chipolo device) is a direct conceptual and technical analogue to Marco Polo's voice-activated and Nearby-based phone-finding capabilities.
- Cube Tracker: Cube Tracker is a Bluetooth item finder brand that includes a phone-finding function in its companion app. It operates in the same BLE-based lost-device category and sells a similar one-tap 'ring my phone' feature that Marco Polo provides through its voice and Nearby mechanisms.
Broad incumbents
- Samsung SmartThings Find: Samsung's SmartThings Find locates lost Galaxy phones, watches, and SmartTags across the Samsung ecosystem. It is a first-party, platform-integrated alternative analogous to Apple's Find My, and reinforces the structural challenge Marco Polo faces from device-maker-controlled solutions.
- Google Find My Device: Google's 'Find My Device' network locates lost Android phones and third-party trackers. While it does not serve iOS, it represents the platform-level analogue on the competing OS — illustrating the structural incumbent pressure Marco Polo faces from first-party solutions.
- Apple Find My: Apple's first-party 'Find My' network is pre-installed on every iOS device and locates lost iPhones, iPads, Macs, and AirTags. It is the dominant free, platform-integrated alternative to Marco Polo for the specific use case of finding a misplaced iPhone.
Emerging players
- Whistle: Whistle makes GPS and Bluetooth pet trackers with a companion app for locating pets. It uses comparable BLE and location-discovery technology to Marco Polo but applies it to a different use case (pets vs. phones), making it a partial-overlap emerging player in the broader 'find a connected device' space.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses3 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights4 records
Customer concentration
Marco Polo social profiles
Digital presenceMarco Polo financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Marco Polo leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Marco Polo funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Marco Polo 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 Marco Polo
What does Marco Polo do?
Marco Polo is a voice-activated iOS mobile application that helps users locate a misplaced iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. The app listens through the device microphone for a configurable trigger phrase (default "MARCO!") and responds with a customizable audio reply ("POLO!") to make the device easy to find, even when the device is in sleep or silent mode.
Is Marco Polo a public or private company?
Marco Polo is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Marco Polo founded?
Marco Polo was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Marco Polo based?
Marco Polo is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Marco Polo make money?
One revenue line is on record: app Store Sales.
Who are Marco Polo's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Tile, Pebblebee, Chipolo and Cube Tracker. Broad incumbents are Samsung SmartThings Find, Google Find My Device and Apple Find My. Whistle is listed as an emerging player.
Does Marco Polo have an API?
No public API is recorded for Marco Polo.