GrinGO

What GrinGO does

GrinGO, LLC is a Phoenix, Arizona-based mobile platform that provides a consolidated suite of travel services and safety resources for U.S. and Canadian citizens traveling to Mexico. The free iOS and Android app aggregates features including Mexico auto and boat insurance purchasing, hotel and activity booking, English-speaking medical provider directories, legal aid directories, telehealth access, currency exchange via TransferWise, an emergency "ICE Card" lock-screen feature, language translation, and a crisis response service that handles serious incidents including kidnapping and executive protection. The app integrates with the Mexican government's Ángeles Verdes roadside assistance program via a December 2024 MOU with SECTUR, and pulls real-time travel advisories from U.S. Consulates in Mexico.

The product architecture is mobile-first with GPS-based location matching for emergency responders and telehealth providers, a location-aware service dispatch layer (the Green Angel platform, launched Q3 2019), and analytics integrations with Google Analytics, Mixpanel, and Flurry. GrinGO holds no patents and exposes no public APIs. The underlying business model is freemium with no direct consumer subscription fees; revenue is intended to be generated via hotel booking commissions, advertising shown to free users, affiliate referrals for Mexico auto insurance, and monetization of traveler data through lead generation to tourism partners. Go-to-market is product-led through app stores, augmented by government and tourism-board channel partnerships.

The company was founded by brothers Brian Krupski (CEO, formerly of the Arizona-Mexico Commission and Arizona Technology Council, and founder of predecessor Ammex Global Assurance in 2008) and Robert Krupski (CTO, formerly Director of IT at Motorola), with Neil Morello serving as VP of Sales. As of January 2024, the platform reported 25,000+ users against a 25M+ annual traveler TAM. The company has raised approximately $200,000 to date across two friends-and-family rounds in 2018 and 2020 and is targeting a $2.5M growth capital round to scale headcount, partnerships, and marketing toward a stated 1M-user goal.

Name

GrinGO

Legal name

GrinGO, LLC

Website

https://gringoapp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

GrinGO is a Phoenix-based mobile platform providing U.S. and Canadian travelers to Mexico with a consolidated suite of travel services (insurance, booking, currency exchange) and safety resources (roadside assistance, medical, legal aid, crisis response) via a free iOS/Android app.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Travel Safety Mobile App

NAICS

Travel Agencies (561510), Other Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services (56159)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Omnichannel Commerce & Click-and-Collect Platforms (BPAMAGAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Online Booking Tools (OBT) & Corporate Booking UX (THALAGAD)

Keywords

• Mexico travel safety
• Mobile travel app
• Roadside assistance Mexico
• Mexico auto insurance
• Cross-border travel concierge

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hotel Reservations: Commission from hotel bookings made through the app's travel booking feature
2. Advertising: Sponsored content and ads displayed to free users to maintain no-cost access to core services
3. Mexico Auto Insurance: Lead generation and commissions from Mexico auto insurance sales
4. Lead Generation: Monetization of traveler data through lead generation services to tourism partners

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

GrinGO is a mobile-first travel and safety concierge app for US and Canadian citizens traveling to Mexico. It bundles hotel booking, Mexico auto and boat insurance, roadside assistance via the Ángeles Verdes government program, medical and legal aid directories, telehealth, crisis response, currency exchange, and real-time US Consulate travel advisories into a single free platform. The app earns revenue through hotel booking commissions, advertising, and insurance/lead generation rather than direct user subscription fees.

Product overview

GrinGO is a safety-driven mobile platform and Global Distribution System (GDS) of travel services and safety resources for U.S. and Canadian citizens traveling to Mexico. The unified GrinGO App serves as the core product with integrated feature modules including Roadside Assistance (auto insurance, border wait times, Angeles Verdes), Legal Aid (attorney directory), Travel Booking (hotels, travel insurance), Medical Services (doctor/facility directory, first aid), Go Explore (activity/destination discovery with branded destination landing pages), Nautical Services (boat insurance, marine conditions), Crisis Response (serious incident support), ICE Card (emergency medical info), Translate (language), and Currency/Digital Wallet (TransferWise money transfer). Revenue is generated through hotel reservations, advertising, Mexico auto insurance sales, and lead generation from traveler data. The MexicoTravelSAFE.com sub-brand focuses on safety initiative promotion and donations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• GrinGO App Mobile travel and safety concierge app serving as a digital concierge and Global Distribution System (GDS) of travel services and safety resources for U.S. and Canadian citizens traveling to Mexico. Bundles hotel booking, Mexico auto/boat insurance, roadside assistance, medical and legal directories, telehealth, crisis response, currency exchange, and real-time US Consulate travel advisories into one free app, available on iOS and Android.
• MexicoTravelSAFE.com Dedicated website platform operated under GrinGO that promotes U.S. tourist safety initiatives in Mexico and collects tax-deductible donations to fund U.S. safety programs in Mexico via the National Safety Council Arizona Chapter.
• GrinGO Getaway Travel promotion program offering chances to win getaways to Mexico through participation in travel promotions and select partner offerings, used as a top-of-funnel marketing channel for the GrinGO app.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 25,000 users as of January 2024
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability4 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Ángeles Verdes (Mexico's Secretary of Tourism)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 December 2024Integration of Ángeles Verdes operating system with GrinGO platform to provide US tourists comprehensive information and gateway to the program's free roadside service. MOU signed December 12th during ceremony with Mexico's National Secretary of Tourism Miguel Torruco Marqués. Angeles Verdes is a free roadside assistance program operated under Mexico's Secretary of Tourism.
• National Safety Council Arizona Chapter (ACNSC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 December 2024MOU signed December 10, 2024 at Arizona-Sonora Consular Forum. Partnership aims to enhance safety for US tourists in Mexico, support secure cross-border commerce, address road safety, infrastructure, security, and essential support services. GrinGO operates under MexicoTravelSAFE.com website and seeks donations to fund US safety initiatives in Mexico.
• U.S. Consulates in MexicocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership during pandemic to send real-time area travel and health advisories to travelers via GrinGO's app. Led to several agreements with Mexican officials as tourism industry bounced back.
• AmadeusflagshipTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2019Accepted into Amadeus startup program - a global distribution system for the travel industry. This positioned GrinGO as a true travel company and enabled the split of slogan to 'a travel and safety app'.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Booking.com: Booking.com is a leading global online travel agency with hotel, flight, and car-rental booking plus travel insurance offerings. It is a broad incumbent that competes with GrinGO's hotel booking and travel-insurance features at vastly larger scale.
• International SOS: International SOS is a global leader in medical and travel security assistance services for corporate and individual travelers. It represents the broad-incumbent benchmark in the travel-safety category that GrinGO's crisis response and medical services features compete against.
• Expedia: Expedia Group operates major consumer travel brands including Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo, offering booking, insurance, and trip-management features. It is a broad incumbent competing with GrinGO for US travelers' booking and insurance wallets.

Emerging players

• TripIt: TripIt (Concur) is a mobile trip-planning and itinerary management app for frequent travelers. It overlaps with GrinGO's mobile-first travel concierge positioning and travel booking/advisory features.
• Hopper: Hopper is a mobile-first travel booking app specializing in flights, hotels, and travel deals with AI-driven price predictions. It is an emerging-player comparator for GrinGO's mobile-first booking and travel-insurance features aimed at younger leisure travelers.
• SafetyWing: SafetyWing is a digital-first travel and nomad health insurance provider serving remote workers and long-term travelers. It overlaps with GrinGO's Mexico travel insurance lead-generation feature for cross-border travelers.
• World Nomads: World Nomads is an adventure-travel insurance provider offering travel insurance purchased online by independent travelers. It directly competes with GrinGO's travel insurance monetization stream for Mexico-bound US and Canadian travelers.

Direct peers

• Sitata: Sitata is a travel safety and risk-management platform that provides real-time health and safety advisories, medical assistance, and traveler check-in features. It is the most direct competitor to GrinGO in the consumer travel-safety app category, targeting similar cross-border and international travelers.
• Safeture: Safeture is a SaaS and mobile platform for travel risk management used by corporations and individuals to monitor threats, receive alerts, and access assistance. It overlaps with GrinGO's crisis-response and advisory features, though it leans more B2B and global rather than US-Mexico focused.

Others

• Ammex Global Assurance: Ammex Global Assurance is GrinGO founder Brian Krupski's earlier e-commerce venture selling Mexico auto insurance. It is the predecessor business whose customer base and insurance expertise underpin GrinGO's affiliate insurance revenue stream.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gringoapp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gringo-app

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 GrinGO