Xoobies

Xoobies is a digital marketplace where travelers can book personalized guided experiences.

Specifically, the platform connects travelers with local tour guides, known as “Xoobies.” These guides take travelers on two-hour experiences designed around a particular city — experiences such as wine tastings, salsa dancing, food tastings, and tours of the city.

This is growing sector of the roughly $380 billion travel industry — for example:

In 2014, TripAdvisor acquired Viator, a website offering curated tours for travelers, for $200 million...

And Airbnb recently expanded its services to the tour guide sector with its acquisition of Trip4real, a platform that connects travelers with local activities.

According to the U.S. Travel Association, in 2017, American and international travelers spent $2.8 billion every day while traveling.

Xoobies provides an alternative to expensive curated experiences and generic, self-guided tours.

Most two-hour experiences average $125 per guest. Xoobies pays tour guides between $25 and $50 per hour and keeps the rest. With this pricing model, Xoobies earns 40% to 60% margins for each experience sold.

Xoobies launched in 2017 in Chicago, and offers 21 different experiences led by nearly two dozen tour guides.

The company is in the process of expanding its services to Miami, and developing potential partnerships with travel agencies and local businesses.

Team Background

MQ Qureshi - CEO

Dennis Robinson - CoFounder & COO

Kevin Tang - CoFounder & Head of Product Ops

Ryan Ferretti - CoFounder and CTO

Co-Investors