What City-Insights does

City-Insights is a London-based private software company that builds a location-based mobile-web platform (branded Ripple) enabling organisations to deliver multimedia content — text, images, audio, video, 360° panoramas, quizzes and SMS campaigns — to visitors and users at specific physical locations via QR codes, NFC tags, URLs, or image recognition, without requiring an app download. Underlying technology is an HTML5 mobile-web platform with a cloud-based content management system designed for non-specialist users (claimed ramp-up of 25 minutes to 4 hours), integrated with Google Maps and Google Analytics, and capable of scaling from a single apartment to a city centre. The product set comprises the core Ripple CMS, eight sector-specific toolkits (University Campus, University Accommodation, Community Engagement, Site Heritage, Project Update, Tenant Care, Handover, Maintenance), and two sub-branded deployments — KXplorer for urban redevelopment heritage trails and KYPExplore for touring digital exhibitions.

The company serves enterprise and public-sector buyers across six stated verticals: Culture, Heritage and Tourism; Urban / Smart Cities; Sport, Leisure & Parks; Property and Construction; Schools & Universities; and a "Bluesky / Innovation" exploration segment. Named customers and partners include Network Rail (Liverpool Street Station), Argent (King's Cross KXplorer), Catalyst Housing Group, Overbury, Ashmolean Museum, JORVIK Viking Centre, Pembroke Castle, Hampshire County Council, Oxford Council, Newport Now BID, Canal & River Trust, University of Cambridge, Loughborough University London, Central St Martins, and Intel Collaborative Research Institute.

Revenue is generated through a mix of subscription/platform licensing and bespoke project work (e.g., the Network Rail Liverpool Street Station information system, the Overbury Project Update Toolkit, the KXplorer/KYPExplore builds); pricing is quote-based with annual billing cadence and is not publicly disclosed. The company is angel-backed, founded circa 2013, operates from a 1–10 person team co-located with parent TGAC and design partner Hotrod Creations, and is legal-entity "City-Insights (London) Ltd" (GBR).

Name

City-Insights

Legal name

City-Insights (London) Ltd

Website

https://city-insights.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

City-Insights is a London-based software company whose Ripple platform delivers app-free, location-based multimedia content via QR, NFC, and image recognition for heritage sites, museums, property developers, housing associations, universities, local governments, and transport operators across the UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Placemaking Software

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210), Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (519290)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Local & City Guide Content Aggregators (MPACAKAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Geofencing, Proximity & Location-Based Engagement Platforms (BPAMANAJ), Local & Neighborhood Communities (BPAMABAG)

Keywords

• Location-based software
• Digital placemaking platform
• Multimedia content delivery
• Mobile web applications
• Heritage interpretation software

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Platform Subscription / Licensing: Web-based Platform sold to clients for creating and managing location-based digital experiences. Training and ongoing support provided.
2. Custom Project Development: Custom implementations for specific venues and use cases, such as the Overbury project management tool and Network Rail Liverpool Street Station information system.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

City-Insights develops and sells the Ripple Platform, an HTML5-based mobile web content management system that enables organizations to create and deliver location-based multimedia experiences to smartphone and tablet users via QR codes, NFC tags, URLs, or image recognition. The platform requires no app download, scales from single rooms to entire city centres, and serves sectors including heritage, tourism, property development, construction, education, transportation, and local government.

Product overview

City-Insights is a location-based mobile web platform that enables organizations to deliver multimedia content tied to specific physical locations. The platform operates under the brand name Ripple and provides a core content management system (CMS) allowing clients to manage and update content without technical expertise. The offering follows a platform-plus-toolkits architecture: the core City-Insights/Ripple platform handles content delivery, multimedia experiences, and user analytics, while specialized toolkits address specific sector needs including University Campus/Accommodation toolkits for educational institutions, Community Engagement/Site Heritage/Project Update/Tenant Care/Handover/Maintenance toolkits for the property and construction sector. Sub-brands include KXplorer (heritage trails for urban redevelopment) and KYPExplore (touring exhibitions). Access is via QR codes, NFC, or URL without requiring app downloads, with integrations to Google Maps and Google Analytics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ripple: The official name for the company's software platform - an incredibly flexible and easy to use location-based multimedia content delivery system that works across all popular smartphones and tablets.

Products and services

• Ripple Platform (City-Insights Platform) A location-based mobile web application platform that connects users with multimedia content at specific physical locations via QR codes, NFC, URLs, or image recognition without requiring app downloads. Serves heritage sites, museums, urban environments, and commercial properties with multimedia interpretation and engagement tools.
• University Campus Toolkit Toolkit for universities to transform Open Days, serve as a student recruitment tool, integrate with existing communications, and drive traffic to main websites.
• University Accommodation Toolkit Toolkit for managing student accommodation with resident information that is always available and updated, answering FAQs and common issues.
• Community Engagement Toolkit Toolkit for property developers and housing associations to engage local communities and showcase project features and good news stories.
• Site Heritage Toolkit Toolkit for capturing and presenting heritage information at construction and development sites.
• Project Update Toolkit Toolkit for keeping clients informed about project progress with timelapse footage, progress photos and video newsletters. Used by construction and fit-out companies including Overbury.
• Tenant Care Toolkit Toolkit for housing providers to deliver interactive digital home manuals with video demonstrations for equipment, connecting tenants to local facilities and area information. Used by Catalyst Housing Group.
• Handover Toolkit Toolkit for construction companies to provide online manuals, O&M Manuals, and demonstrations of how to use key equipment during building handover to clients.
• Maintenance Toolkit Toolkit for briefing contractors before they come on site with standard information, site rules, and equipment specifications.
• KXplorer Digital heritage trail product specifically designed for urban redevelopment sites, covering the past, present, and future of development areas with multimedia storytelling experiences.
• KYPExplore Touring digital exhibition system for bringing heritage experiences to schools, libraries, shopping centres, and visitor centres. Used in the West of England Heritage project.

Quantifiable outcome

• 21 days from concept to implementation for Liverpool Street Station project
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TGACcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent company providing creative consultancy. City-Insights pools talents with TGAC and Hotrod Creations. TGAC team members visit clients together with City-Insights staff.
• Hotrod CreationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign studio partner. Works alongside City-Insights and TGAC from Old Street studio. Jointly developed image recognition system and digital-print interactions.
• Future Cities CatapultcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity-Insights supported as SME partner. Future Cities Catapult Executive Director commented on City-Insights as innovator in digital placemaking.
• Loughborough University LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity-Insights serves as Project Champions for Masters collaboration module. Students work with the Platform to develop innovative projects. Multi-year ongoing collaboration.
• ArgentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKing's Cross development company. Multiple collaborative projects including KXplorer digital heritage trail and King's Cross N1C development.
• Professor aladin aladinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExternal consultant providing strategy advice, observing work methods, and keeping team open to possibilities. Associated with Social Capital.
• Catalyst Housing GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking together on interactive digital home manuals for tenants. Joint participation in HACT Innovation Launchpad.
• Intel Collaborative Research InstitutecoreTechnology or IntegrationDeveloping smart city scenarios integrating live sensor data into City-Insights Platform as part of user experience.
• Canal & River TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital heritage, wayfinding and trails project at Carpenters Road Lock in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
• Central St MartinsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudents from MA Narrative Environments course use City-Insights Platform to develop proposals.
• History PressminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK's largest local and specialist history publisher. Exploring digital-print synthesis for books and publications.
• Historic Royal DockyardsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPilot project at Explosion! museum exploring triggers to digital information-experiences in printed material.
• PurcellUKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeritage architects exploring ways to tell restoration stories using City-Insights Platform at their locations.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• STQRY: STQRY builds mobile apps and web guides for museums, tours, and trails, directly competing with City-Insights on location-based multimedia interpretation and trails.
• izi.TRAVEL: izi.TRAVEL provides a platform for self-guided audio tours and city guides via mobile apps, comparable to City-Insights' heritage trails and city exploration experiences.
• Cuseum: Cuseum is a digital engagement platform for museums, galleries, and cultural institutions offering location-based and AR content experiences, closely overlapping with City-Insights' Ripple platform.
• Smartify: Smartify provides a mobile app and platform for museum and heritage site digital interpretation, offering object recognition and multimedia content delivery — directly comparable to City-Insights' heritage and tourism vertical.
• Guidigo: Guidigo offers a platform for creating interactive city guides and treasure hunts with multimedia content, a close functional peer for City-Insights' trails and exploration use cases.

Emerging players

• Pointr: Pointr provides indoor positioning and wayfinding via Bluetooth beacons, an area of exploratory partnership with City-Insights for indoor navigation in transport and construction settings.
• Plug Digital: Plug Digital offers digital placemaking and interactive location-based experiences, overlapping with City-Insights' urban redevelopment and heritage interpretation offerings.
• Meograph: Meograph provides a multimedia storytelling platform with location and time dimensions, comparable to City-Insights' location-based narrative experience capabilities.

Regional players

• AccuVeil: Heritage and tourism digital guide providers operating in specific regional markets; comparable to City-Insights in offering location-based multimedia experiences for cultural and tourism sites in focused geographies.

Broad incumbents

• Bloomberg Connects: Bloomberg Connects, from Bloomberg Philanthropies, provides free digital guide apps for cultural institutions worldwide, representing a well-funded incumbent in the same digital heritage/interpretation space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/city_insights
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/city-insights
• Instagraminstagram.com/cityinsights

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

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 City-Insights