For the expanding urban population, Dhaka has plenty to offer, from hidden food corners to unique entertainment spots.

However, many of these experiences rely heavily on virality to gain attention, while platforms such as Facebook and Instagram remain too generic to highlight local discoveries effectively.

As a result, social platforms are rarely hyperlocalised to serve specific neighbourhoods. Instead, they rely on algorithms that promote only a handful of hyped options, leaving a large gap for smaller businesses and experiences trying to reach new audiences.

This frustration led to the creation of Localoy, a city discovery platform that aims to do much more than simple listings. The platform attempts to understand a user’s behaviour and lifestyle to recommend experiences tailored to them.

The project was initiated by three young founders with different strengths: Rizon, Sabil, and Fida. What began as a swipe-friendly app has gradually evolved into a broader vision of an AI-powered operating system for urban life.

The current stage: A city going-out app

Rizon, the CEO, explained the idea behind the platform.

“I had the vision of a local super app when I was just 15, but the trigger came later. One day, my co-founder and I were trying to decide where to go within a limited budget. It took us nearly 30 minutes to find a good option. That friction felt unnecessary.”

That simple frustration eventually evolved into the problem statement that led to the creation of Localoy.

Localoy positions itself as a city discovery app that helps people decide where to eat, where to go, and what to do nearby. It addresses the challenge of finding local experiences, offers, and places that are often overlooked by generic platforms.

Many people miss hidden gems because of outdated information, lack of awareness, or fragmented local knowledge. Traditional search methods can overwhelm users with too much scattered information.

Localoy attempts to simplify this through three core features:

Swap: Swipe to discover offers, events, and activities
Discover: A map-based city directory of local providers
Loco AI: Personalised suggestions on what to do next

To explain the concept more simply, the founders often compare the experience to Tinder. Localoy works somewhat like the Tinder of city exploration, where users swipe through experiences rather than profiles.

The app primarily targets urban millennials and Gen Z aged between 18 and 35 who are tired of seeing the same recommendations and want to explore new options.

The founders explained:
“We personalise the experience based on a user’s preferences, behaviour, and habits through continuous tracking and training of our AI models. We want to make discovery fun and interactive.”

A major strength of Localoy lies in its user experience. The swipe-based interface encourages exploration, while the Discover map allows users to browse nearby experiences easily.

Users can also view trending activities across the city or allow the AI system to recommend options based on their budget, location, and preferences.

Community-driven discovery

Localoy also relies on real-time user-generated content through a network called spotters.

Fida, the co-founder responsible for content and community, explained their role.

“They are the ones who find local wonders and hidden gems in different neighbourhoods. They are authentic sources who keep the feed alive with fresh and local content.”

Product innovation with AI

By combining AI with a community of users and spotters, Localoy aims to continuously refine its recommendations and highlight the most relevant places, deals, and events.

Swipe recommendations adapt dynamically to a user’s mood, budget, location, and habits.

Sabil, the co-founder leading the tech team, said:
“It is not a generic list. The system learns from how users interact with the app and updates recommendations based on individual preferences.”

Another key focus for the startup is collaboration with local businesses.

Businesses can create profiles, upload offers and events, and gain visibility through AI-powered recommendations.

The founders describe the process as “LIST → HOST → CONNECT.”

Businesses first list their offerings on the platform. They can then host events or experiences directly through the system, which integrates with their existing websites or platforms. This creates additional channels to reach customers.

Localoy’s revenue model currently includes advertising, transaction commissions, business subscriptions, and paid listings.

However, the team emphasises that monetisation is designed to remain non-intrusive.

Rizon explained:
“No ads or promotions feel intrusive. Everything is contextual and relevant. Monetisation happens through value-added services for businesses rather than disrupting the user experience.”

Early traction and market response

For such a young startup, the early response has been encouraging.

Urban millennials in Dhaka have been the most engaged audience so far. Localoy’s social media presence has also gained attention for its creative content and organic reach.

The platform has already built an organic follower base of around 4,000 on Instagram, with several pieces of content reaching over one million views.

Through these channels, the team has managed to generate initial traction.

According to the founders:
“The young, active, and exploratory crowd has engaged the most. We have onboarded hundreds of businesses and thousands of users experimenting with the Swap feature.”

The soft launch of Swap and Discover showed strong retention rates, with users actively engaging with posts and exploring nearby experiences in real time.

In some cases, the impact has been visible for local businesses.

One small café reportedly increased its revenue by 40 percent after appearing on Localoy’s Swap and Discover features, attracting customers from new areas eager to explore.

Rizon reflected on the response:
“People love curated discovery. They simply want more of it.”

The next stage: Becoming a discovery brain

The founders believe Localoy’s future goes far beyond being a simple city guide.

Their long-term vision is to transform the platform into what they describe as a “city discovery brain.”

“We plan to build an intelligent system that does not just show options but curates the best experiences by learning your moods, habits, budget, and plans,” the founders explained.

Upcoming features include AI-generated routes, smarter filters, unified maps, and expanded services that integrate user preferences with swipe-based discovery.

Towards a Life OS

The founders’ biggest ambition is to evolve Localoy into a broader urban operating system.

Rizon described the vision:

“We want Localoy to become the urban operating system where users can access the best experiences in a personalised way. Each user’s routines, plans, spending habits, moods, and city life could be synchronised seamlessly.”

Future development will rely on advanced algorithms and large language models to predict preferences, automate planning, and help users book experiences directly through the app.

The system driving this vision is Loco AI, the platform’s core intelligence engine.

“As cities become more complex, people need a personal command centre for their daily experiences,” Rizon added. “We want to fill that gap.”

In the long run, the company expects user subscriptions and network fees to become its primary revenue sources, shifting from business-centric monetisation toward user-driven value.

Localoy also plans to launch a club model that would enable offline community interactions, allowing organisers to host events, products, and experiences through the platform.

For the founders, the journey so far has not been easy.

Most of the team members are students with limited professional experience, but they share a strong drive to build something meaningful.

When asked about their motivation, the founders said:

“We are building a smarter interface that upgrades how millennials experience the city. It is a vision built around connecting people with possibilities.”

What began as two friends struggling to find a budget-friendly hangout spot in Dhaka has gradually grown into an ambitious attempt to build an entire ecosystem for urban discovery.

Today, Localoy is a city-discovery platform aiming to evolve into a full urban operating system. With bold ideas and early traction, the startup hopes to reshape how people explore city life.