Timescity

What Timescity does

Timescity operates WhatsHot, a digital local discovery and city guide platform founded in 2017 that covers 12 Indian cities — Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Pune, Chandigarh, Goa, Jaipur, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Kerala. The platform publishes editorial content across categories including Food & Drinks, Things To Do, Shopping, Hotels & Getaways, Events, Activities & Fitness, Art & Culture, and Experiences, with approximately 7,972 stories published to date. It provides city-specific landing pages, persona-based discovery filters (Family, Friends, Couple, Kids, Pets, Single), a curated Experiences booking section, and a Best Products review section.

The platform is built as a content-led, self-serve web product accessible via desktop and mobile, distributed through organic content marketing, SEO, Instagram, and video channels. It integrates with third-party transactional partners — Swiggy and Zomato for food delivery, and Eazy Diner for restaurant reservations — enabling users to convert editorial discovery into transactions on those platforms. The company maintains a small team of approximately 5 employees, supported by named editorial contributors (WH Crew, Pradamini, Sargam).

WhatsHot generates revenue through two primary streams: advertising and promotional placements paid by restaurants, hotels, and brands featured on the platform (including flagship partners such as Coca-Cola India, Royal Orchid Hotels, and Regenta Hotels), and affiliate/referral commissions from partner platforms (Swiggy, Zomato, Eazy Diner) when users convert to transactions. The company operates as a privately held, independent digital media entity with no disclosed venture funding, parent company, or acquisition history.

Name

Timescity

Legal name

WhatsHot

Website

https://timescity.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Timescity operates WhatsHot, a digital local discovery and city guide platform covering 12 Indian cities with editorial content on restaurants, events, hotels, shopping, and curated experiences. It serves urban consumers seeking local recommendations and generates revenue through merchant advertising and affiliate partnerships with Swiggy, Zomato, and Eazy Diner.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Discovery & City Guides

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Local & City Guide Content Aggregators (MPACAKAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Tours, Activities & Experiences Booking Platforms (BPAMAIAJ)

Keywords

• Local discovery platform
• City event guides
• Restaurant discovery
• Hospitality marketing
• Experience booking

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising & Promotional Services: Platform generates revenue through advertising placements from restaurants, hotels, and businesses featured on the platform. Merchants pay for visibility and promotional placement.
2. Restaurant Platform Partnerships: Partnerships with food delivery platforms like Swiggy and Zomato, as well as restaurant discovery platforms like Eazy Diner, generate referral and affiliate revenue when users convert to transactions on partner platforms.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Timescity operates the WhatsHot platform, a multi-city local discovery and content platform that publishes curated city guides covering restaurants, cafes, hotels, shopping venues, events, activities, and experiences across 12 Indian cities. The platform generates revenue through advertising placements from hospitality businesses and affiliate partnerships with food delivery and reservation platforms such as Swiggy, Zomato, and Eazy Diner. It also offers a dedicated Experiences section for booking curated activities like workshops, tastings, and expeditions.

Product overview

WhatsHot is a multi-city local discovery and events platform offering comprehensive coverage of restaurants, cafes, hotels, shopping venues, entertainment activities, and curated experiences across 12 Indian cities. The platform operates as a unified discovery ecosystem with city-specific pages, categorized content listings (Food & Drinks, Things To Do, Shopping, Hotels & Getaways, Events, Videos, Activities & Fitness, Art & Culture, Home & Living, Services, Social Hits, Best Products), persona-based discovery features (Discover With Family/Friends/Couple/Kids/Pets/Single), and a dedicated Experiences booking section. The platform also features local directory listings with ratings, reviews, pricing, and user engagement metrics across all major urban centers in India.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WhatsHot (Local Discovery Platform) A comprehensive local discovery platform covering events, food and drinks, shopping, hotels and getaways, activities, and experiences across 12 Indian cities including Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Pune, Chandigarh, Goa, Jaipur, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Kerala. Targeted at urban consumers seeking curated local recommendations and at hospitality businesses seeking marketing visibility.
• Experiences (Curated Experiences) A curated booking platform for unique experiences and events across cities, featuring activities like Himalayan expeditions, wine tastings, breathwork workshops, matcha making classes, pottery workshops, and food experiences. Designed for urban consumers seeking bookable lifestyle activities.
• Best Products A curated product discovery section featuring lifestyle product reviews, recommendations, and brand spotlights across categories including beauty, home, electronics, and consumer goods. Targeted at urban consumers interested in product recommendations.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Coca-Cola IndiaflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2025Coca-Cola partnered with WhatsHot for the FIFA World Cup 26 Trophy Tour India coverage. WhatsHot served as a media partner for promoting the event in Delhi (January 11, 2026) and Guwahati (January 13, 2026), featuring Coca-Cola as FIFA's official beverage partner.
• SwiggycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFood delivery platform partnership enabling users to order from featured restaurants directly. Swiggy is listed as a supported ordering platform for restaurant partners like The House of Makeba, generating referral traffic and potential affiliate revenue.
• ZomatocoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRestaurant discovery and food delivery platform partnership similar to Swiggy. Featured restaurants on WhatsHot can be ordered through Zomato, creating cross-platform discovery and ordering options.
• Eazy DinerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRestaurant reservation and discovery platform partnership providing booking capabilities for featured restaurants. Enables users to make reservations directly through Eazy Diner integration.
• Royal Orchid HotelscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured hospitality partner for summer travel content. WhatsHot curated 'The Great Summer Escape' campaign featuring Royal Orchid Beach Resort & Spa Goa, Royal Orchid Fort Resort Mussoorie, and other Royal Orchid properties across destinations including Ranthambore, Mysore, and Shimla.
• Regenta HotelscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured hospitality partner in summer travel content alongside Royal Orchid. Regenta properties featured include Regenta Resort Vanya Mahal Ranthambore, Regenta Central Imperial Candolim Goa, Regenta Inn Blossom Kullu, Regenta Resort & Spa Mashobra Shimla, and numerous others across mountain, beach, heritage, and spiritual destinations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Burrp: India-based city guide platform covering restaurants, events, and nightlife in major metros. Closely comparable as a horizontal Indian city-discovery platform, though it has narrowed focus over time.
• Magicpin: India-focused local discovery and cashback platform connecting consumers with nearby restaurants, salons, and activities. Comparable audience (urban discovery-driven consumers) and similar merchant-promotion business model.
• Yelp: Global city guide and local business review platform with curated content by category. Comparable content-led model and city-specific pages, though operating at much larger scale in Western markets.
• Nearbuy: Indian local deals and discovery platform covering restaurants, events, salons, and activities across multiple cities. Closely comparable as a horizontal local discovery and experiences marketplace targeting urban Indian consumers.

Broad incumbents

• BookMyShow: India's leading events and entertainment ticketing platform covering movies, concerts, and experiences. Comparable on the events/experiences surface and the persona-based 'going out' consumer, but vertically specialized in ticketing rather than editorial discovery.
• Zomato: India's dominant restaurant discovery and food delivery platform with deep city coverage. Comparable restaurant-discovery surface but operates at vastly larger scale with integrated commerce, capturing both affiliate traffic and direct transactions.
• Tripadvisor: Global travel and restaurant discovery platform with city pages, category listings, and editorial content. Comparable on the Hotels & Getaways and Things To Do surfaces, but with global rather than India-only focus.
• Swiggy: India's leading food delivery and restaurant aggregation platform. Overlaps as a restaurant discovery and affiliate partner to WhatsHot, but operates an integrated commerce model at substantially larger scale.
• Google Maps: Dominant local discovery surface with restaurant listings, reviews, photos, and event information. Sets the baseline for any city guide user expectation in India and is the primary substitute for standalone discovery platforms.

Regional players

• Cityhoopla: Indian experiential activities and events marketplace. Comparable on the curated experiences booking surface that WhatsHot is expanding into, though with a more events-ticketing model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/timescity

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 Timescity