Around

What Around does

Around Technologies Inc. operates 'Around: Local Shopping,' an iOS-only mobile marketplace that connects local creators offering creative services (photography, music, event staffing, fitness instruction, pet services, entertainment) with consumers in New York City. The platform consolidates the full sales cycle into a single application: creator profiles with service menus (images, pricing, descriptions, scheduling), booking request management, in-app messaging, integrated payment processing, recurring-purchase capabilities, and a real-time business analytics dashboard. Creators apply through the app (Settings → Become a Merchant) and consumers browse the directory and submit booking requests; community boards support peer and customer interaction within the app.

The technology stack is a mobile-first marketplace with integrated payment processing (no third-party payment service required for creators), structured ML applied to fraud detection and location/preference-based recommendations, and moderation tooling for content (photos, video). Underlying content ingestion covers image, video, and text modalities. Marketing is content-led, leveraging a blog/newsroom, YouTube testimonials, email capture, organic social, and iOS App Store optimization, with no disclosed Android or web surface.

The business model is currently freemium with a 3-5% service fee deducted automatically at the point of merchant sale. Profile creation and consumer browsing are free; the company has signaled that 'additional paid services will be announced several weeks before release,' implying a future subscription or paid-feature layer. Distribution is exclusively through the iOS App Store, the operating footprint is restricted to NYC, and the company is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, headcount, or revenue.

Name

Around

Legal name

Around Technologies Inc.

Website

https://thearoundhub.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2025

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Around is a NYC-only iOS marketplace that connects local creators of creative services (photographers, musicians, instructors) with nearby consumers, consolidating discovery, booking, messaging, payments, and analytics in one app via a 3-5% transaction fee.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Creative Services Marketplace

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Experiences & Event Services Marketplaces (Photographers, Caterers, DJs) (BPAMAHAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Local & City Guide Content Aggregators (MPACAKAJ)

Keywords

• Local creator marketplace
• Creative services platform
• Mobile booking app
• Local business directory
• Service provider platform

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Transaction Fees: Around charges a service fee of 3-5% when merchants make a sale on the platform. This is the primary revenue stream, deducted automatically at point of transaction.
2. Future Paid Services: Additional paid services will be announced several weeks before release. Currently, businesses are not charged for having a profile on the app.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Around operates a mobile marketplace application that connects local creators with local consumers, primarily within New York City. The platform unifies discovery, service listing, booking requests, in-app messaging, payment processing, and business analytics into a single iOS app for creative service providers such as photographers, musicians, instructors, and event staff. The company monetizes through a 3–5% transaction fee on completed merchant sales while keeping creator profiles free.

Product overview

Around is a single mobile application (iOS) that serves as a marketplace connecting local creators with local demand. The core Around App enables users to search through a creator directory, browse service menus, submit booking requests, message creators, and process payments. For merchants, the app provides business profile creation, service listings with images, pricing, and descriptions, scheduling options, recurring purchase capabilities, delivery management, inventory tracking, and real-time business analytics. The platform operates with a 3-5% service fee on merchant sales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Around App A marketplace mobile application (iOS) that enables NYC local creators and small service businesses to list creative services, receive booking requests, message clients, process payments, and track analytics, while allowing NYC consumers to discover and book local creative talent through a unified directory.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature8 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Etsy: Public marketplace for handmade and creative goods. Comparable on the 'support local creative economy' positioning and the creator-discovery model, but transacts physical goods rather than services.
• Yelp: Public, scaled local-business discovery platform with reviews and booking integrations. Comparable to Around on the local-discovery side but covers all categories (restaurants, retail, services) rather than specializing in creative services.
• Angi (Angie's List): Public, scaled home-services marketplace. Comparable marketplace mechanics to Around but focused on home improvement rather than creative services, providing a contrast for unit economics and service categorization.
• Fiverr: Public marketplace for creative freelance services. Comparable on the supply-side (creators, gig pricing, booking) but operates globally and digitally rather than locally; useful as a benchmark for creator-side monetization.

Others

• Instagram: Primary channel where many local creators currently acquire customers (the fragmentation Around is trying to replace). Functions as a competitive alternative for creator discovery, not a peer in marketplace mechanics.

Direct peers

• Care.com: Marketplace connecting local service providers (caregivers, tutors, pet sitters) with local consumers. Closely comparable to Around in two-sided local-services marketplace mechanics and target SMB/individual supplier base.
• Bark: UK-based marketplace connecting consumers with local professional services including creative and event services. Business model (commission-based, directory-led) is highly analogous to Around, useful as a comparable for international expansion.
• TaskRabbit: Owned by IKEA, TaskRabbit is a marketplace connecting local freelancers with consumers for services. Closely overlaps Around's model of unified booking/payment for local creative and personal services, with broader service categories.
• Thumbtack: Largest US marketplace for local professional services (photographers, musicians, event staff, instructors). Directly comparable to Around in target market and transactional model, but at national scale and with venture funding.

Emerging players

• Gigsberg: Smaller-scale marketplace for local event and entertainment services. Comparable to Around's photography/music/event-services niche but with different geographic focus and lower scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCrxBylEBONOrD6uHT-MQotA
• Xx.com/TheAroundHub
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thearoundapp

Compliance1 record

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 Around