Voice For Locals

What Voice For Locals does

Voice For Locals is a UK-based digital ecosystem platform that connects local micro-businesses, shoppers, job seekers, and local government through a combination of council-wide loyalty networks, AI-enabled marketing tools, and a field-based Local Champion programme. Founded by Jay Thattai and headquartered at Ludgate Hill in London, the company operates two mobile applications — a free Consumer App and a Business App — that together form a community-wide loyalty network in which shoppers earn points at participating high street businesses and redeem rewards across the network. The platform's core technology stack comprises a proprietary cross-promotion algorithm claimed to deliver five new customer sales per business daily, a generative AI Growth Assistant that builds marketing campaigns from short text inputs, an integrated point-of-sale module, and a 30+ business insights dashboard.

The company monetises through a tiered subscription (£40/month or £360/year) for the AI Growth Assistant business tier, usage-based charges for AI campaign creation and distribution, and a 10% recurring affiliate commission paid to enterprise support networks. Go-to-market is a hybrid of community-led growth (trained Local Champions who onboard businesses in person), channel partnerships with eight Northern Ireland chambers of commerce and BIDs plus West London boroughs, and self-serve app downloads. The Local Champion programme also functions as an employment channel, recruiting from Jobcentre Plus, DWP, and Further Education Colleges to address UK NEET unemployment.

The company has scaled primarily through a £1.822 million UK Community Renewal Fund grant awarded in 2021 — the largest such UK government grant supporting Northern Ireland businesses — which enabled digitisation of more than 200 local businesses within 30 days. Active operational regions now span Northern Ireland, West London (Hounslow, Ealing, Chiswick), and an Asia-Pacific pilot supporting women-led businesses. Recognition includes ICSB Global Awards 2026 finalist status for Educator Excellence and public endorsements from the former UK Small Business Minister and the UK's first Small Business Commissioner. Revenue and headcount are not disclosed.

Name

Voice For Locals

Legal name

Voice For Locals

Website

https://voiceforlocals.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Voice For Locals is a UK digital ecosystem platform connecting local micro-businesses, shoppers, job seekers, and local government via AI-powered marketing, council-wide loyalty networks, and trained Local Champions who digitise high streets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Commerce and Loyalty Platform

SIC

Services-Personal Services (7200), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Services & Experiences Generalist Marketplaces (CRAFAAAD)

Keywords

• Local loyalty platform
• Community commerce ecosystem
• AI marketing tools
• Micro-business digitisation
• Shopper rewards network

Headquarters

HQ city

Belfast

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Business Subscription: Monthly or annual subscription providing access to the loyalty platform, AI-enabled business app, integrated POS, loyalty network, traffic insights, rewards management, partner management, and dedicated Local Champion support
2. AI Campaign Services: Pay-per-use charges for AI campaign creation and AI campaign distribution/sending to local shoppers
3. Affiliate Commission: 10% recurring commission on business and consumer sign-ups, plus 1% override on business-to-business referrals for affiliate partners

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Voice For Locals operates a digital ecosystem platform connecting local micro-businesses, shoppers, job seekers and local government through council-wide loyalty networks, AI-powered marketing campaigns, and a Local Champion employment programme. The Business App subscription (£40/month or £360/year) provides loyalty management, real-time offers, customer insights, integrated POS, and an AI Growth Assistant for campaign generation. The free Consumer App lets shoppers earn and redeem rewards across participating local businesses, while the Local Champion programme trains unemployed individuals to onboard businesses and grow the ecosystem.

Product overview

Voice For Locals operates as a connected community experience platform comprising a Business App and Consumer App, supplemented by AI-powered marketing tools, a council-wide loyalty network, and a Local Champion employment programme. The core platform enables hyper-automated cross-promotions between local businesses, while the AI Growth Assistant generates marketing campaigns on demand. Additional modules include an Affiliate Programme for partner revenue sharing and an Economic Benefits Calculator for impact assessment. The ecosystem connects job seekers, local businesses, shoppers, and local government in one unified system to build self-sustainable local economies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AI Growth Assistant: AI-powered business tools for marketing, rewards and growth for local businesses

Products and services

• Voice For Locals Business App Mobile application for local micro and small businesses to join council-wide loyalty networks, send personalised real-time offers to nearby shoppers, participate in cross-promotions with neighbouring businesses, and access AI-powered marketing campaign generation tools and a 30+ customer insights dashboard.
• Voice For Locals Consumer App Free mobile application for UK shoppers to discover local businesses, earn loyalty points through shopping, rating, reviewing and referring friends, and redeem rewards across participating council-wide loyalty networks with tiered membership levels (Local Shopper, Local Influencer, Local Expert, Local Legend).
• AI Growth Assistant Subscription-based AI-powered marketing tool generating advertising campaigns and promotional content using Generative AI. Businesses input offer or promotion details and the platform produces professional campaign materials distributed to matched local shoppers, available at £40/month or £360/year.
• Local Champion Programme Employment programme that trains and certifies local job seekers through 14 days of bespoke digital and field training to digitise high streets and onboard micro-businesses onto the Voice For Locals ecosystem, with commission-based income and pathways via Jobcentre Plus and DWP.
• Affiliate Programme Recurring revenue programme for enterprise support networks, chambers of commerce, councils and community organisations to earn 10% commission by referring local businesses and shoppers to the Voice For Locals platform, including 16-hour partner training and monthly revenue dashboards.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5+ new customer sales per business per day
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Integration4 records

AI capability2 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Newtownards Chamber of TradecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAnnounced partnership to accelerate the local economy through Voice For Locals digital ecosystem, enrolling member businesses.
• Bangor Chamber of CommercecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership announced to bring shoppers back to the high street through the Voice For Locals loyalty ecosystem.
• Ballymena Chamber of CommercecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership to support local business growth through digitisation and community loyalty programmes.
• Causeway Chamber of CommercecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWelcome of Voice For Locals to support micro and small businesses levelling up after the pandemic in Causeway Coast & Glens region.
• Lisburn ChambercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChamber supports Voice For Locals, awarded £1.82m by UK Community Renewal Fund to help local businesses grow digitally.
• Derry/Londonderry Chamber of CommercecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCollaboration announced to help businesses level up digitally in Derry/Londonderry region.
• Strabane BIDcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership announced to strengthen the local retail economy in Strabane through digital ecosystem.
• Newry BID and Newry ChambercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBusiness groups welcome Voice For Locals to the Newry area for local economic digitisation.
• Jobcentre PluscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmployment partner recruiting job seekers into Local Champion roles through Jobcentre Plus job listings and government employment services.
• Department for Work & Pensions (DWP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment employment partner supporting recruitment of local people into paid roles that strengthen the local digital economy.
• Further Education CollegescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partners providing Local Champion training and certification, with participating institutions shown in partner logos.
• University of RoehamptonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration with Dr Melissa Jogie, interdisciplinary researcher, on ethically tracking and supporting rough sleepers and homeless people through the digital ecosystem.
• Gareth Thomas MPminorOthersFormer UK Small Business Minister provided public endorsement: 'Their persistence and innovation demonstrate the kind of leadership Britain should champion globally.'
• Liz BarclayminorOthersUK's first Small Business Commissioner endorsed the platform: 'Digital ecosystems like Voice For Locals are becoming increasingly important in strengthening local economies and community cohesion.'
• Seema Malhotra MPminorOthersMP for Feltham & Heston highlighted how Voice For Locals helps businesses embrace digital transformation while creating opportunities for young people in the London Borough Of Hounslow.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Smile.io: Leading SMB loyalty and rewards platform serving Shopify merchants with points, referrals, and VIP programmes. Directly comparable as a SaaS loyalty infrastructure for small businesses seeking customer-retention tooling.
• LoyalZoo: UK-based loyalty platform for independent retailers, cafes, and salons with mobile stamp cards, customer insights, and reward management. Closest UK-headquartered competitor targeting the same local SMB segment.
• Thanx: Digital loyalty and marketing platform for restaurants and local merchants with personalised offers, customer data, and cross-promotion features. Comparable on SMB loyalty network model and personalised real-time offers.
• Yotpo: Marketing and loyalty platform combining reviews, SMS marketing, and loyalty programmes for SMBs and mid-market commerce brands. Comparable on AI-powered campaign generation and SMB loyalty automation.
• Stamp Me: Digital loyalty stamp card app for local businesses, enabling cross-business loyalty networks and merchant-to-merchant referrals. Closely aligned with Voice For Locals' council-wide loyalty and cross-promotion model.
• Belly (by SpringFree): Digital loyalty platform for independent retailers and restaurants with mobile stamp cards and customer insights dashboard. Comparable on loyalty infrastructure and SMB customer-intelligence features.

Broad incumbents

• Toast: Restaurant-focused POS and growth platform with loyalty, marketing, and AI-powered tools for food-service SMBs. Comparable on the AI Growth Assistant and integrated customer intelligence capabilities for local hospitality businesses.
• Square (Block): Integrated POS, payments, and marketing platform serving millions of SMBs globally with built-in loyalty, customer engagement, and AI tools. Voice For Locals' Integrated Point of Sale and AI Growth Assistant compete in the same SMB commerce-stack layer.

Others

• Causeway Chamber of Commerce: Northern Ireland business network that is an active Voice For Locals channel partner, enrolling member businesses into the platform. Comparable as an adjacent ecosystem player enabling local-business digitisation through chamber partnerships.

Emerging players

• Punchpass: Class and appointment booking platform with integrated loyalty and customer management for small studios, salons, and service providers. Adjacent niche comparable to Voice For Locals' salon and service-provider SMB segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/voice-for-locals
• Xx.com/VoiceForLocals
• Facebookfacebook.com/voiceforlocalsuk

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Voice For Locals