THEAPP is a progressive web application that offers a geolocated directory of verified LGBTQ‑inclusive merchants and services, enabling users to search by location and access one‑tap actions for calling, navigation, and ordering. Merchants subscribe to customizable Action Pages that include branding, quick‑action buttons, and analytics on traffic and conversions.
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
LGBTQ+ individuals, their allies, and friends often lack a reliable, centralized source for locating businesses and services that are explicitly inclusive and safe, leading to time‑consuming searches and potential exposure to discrimination.
Solution
THEAPP is a progressive web application that aggregates verified inclusive merchants and essential services into a searchable, geolocated directory. Listings are vetted through partnerships with community centers, Pride networks, and local chambers, ensuring up‑to‑date inclusion status. Users can discover nearby businesses with a single tap and instantly access call, navigation, website, and ordering links. Merchants subscribe to an Action Page that showcases key information, images, and quick‑action buttons, driving targeted traffic from THEAPP’s 100 000+ monthly visitors. An AI‑powered conversational guide, Arti, provides natural‑language search and onboarding assistance without requiring app downloads. The platform’s responsive design works on any device, including low‑bandwidth environments, and all interactions are privacy‑first.
Target Audience
Primary users are LGBTQ+ community members, allies, and friends seeking safe, inclusive businesses; secondary customers are small‑to‑mid‑size merchants and service providers that want to attract this demographic through verified listings.
Features
- Responsive progressive web app (PWA) built with HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript, delivering a native‑like experience on browsers across phones, tablets, and desktops.
- Geolocation‑enabled search that returns inclusive merchants within a user‑defined radius, with one‑tap actions for call, directions (integrated with Google Maps), website, and order/booking links.
- Community‑driven verification workflow using a RESTful API to ingest data from Pride networks, chambers of commerce, and user feedback, with automated QA flags for stale listings.
- Merchant Action Pages featuring customizable branding, image galleries, and embedded “quick‑action” buttons, hosted on a CDN for fast load times.
- Subscription billing engine (Stripe) supporting annual ($149) and monthly ($19) plans, with automated invoicing and renewal reminders.
- Analytics dashboard that provides merchants with traffic sources, click‑through rates, and conversion metrics via a secure, role‑based portal.
- Arti AI assistant, a lightweight web‑based chatbot that leverages a fine‑tuned language model to answer inclusion‑related queries, guide users to listings, and assist merchants with onboarding, all while storing no personal data.
- Privacy‑first architecture: end‑to‑end TLS encryption, minimal data retention, and compliance with applicable data‑protection standards.