VIB3 App

VIB3 is the world’s first real-time, vibe-driven social discovery platform that maps the energy of places, people, and events—helping users instantly find where the action is based on mood, location, and live user activity.

VIB3 is currently in the MVP development stage with a validated product concept, a finalised feature specification, and a core dev team in place. We’ve gathered early traction through over 200+ early sign-ups, up to 200+ social media followers, and strong engagement with product demos and teaser videos. We’ve also begun forming partnerships with local event organisers and social influencers to seed launch activity. The product is not yet live in app stores but is on track for a public MVP launch within the next 3–4 months.

Our primary users are Gen Z and millennial social explorers (aged 18–35), including students, young professionals, content creators, solo travellers, digital nomads, and festival-goers. These users are highly mobile, socially connected, and experience-driven, seeking spontaneous, authentic, and shareable moments that match their mood and location in real time.

Our B2B customer segments include:
- Bars, clubs, and restaurants
- Event organisers, nightlife venues, and promoters
- Tourism boards, travel platforms, and hospitality groups
- Lifestyle brands, sponsors, and local advertisers

Market Scope and Opportunity
Global Social Discovery App Market: Expected to surpass $13 billion by 2028, fueled by a growing demand for real-time, location-aware, and mood-based platforms that help people discover and connect socially in the moment.

Global Travel & Experience Economy: With over $1.4 trillion in annual consumer spending (Statista, 2023), the market is rapidly shifting toward experiential tourism, urban adventures, and memory-based value, especially among younger travellers.

South African Market Opportunity: South Africa has more than 25 million mobile social media users, with particularly strong digital engagement among urban youth. Our initial rollout will focus on Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Pretoria—three cities with vibrant event scenes and high mobile penetration.

However, as a software-first, globally accessible platform, VIB3 is designed to scale strategically into international markets, starting with other high-energy urban hubs across Africa, the U.S., Europe, and Asia.

In a hyper-connected world, discovering real-time social energy, where people are, what's happening, and how it feels, remains broken. Current apps display static locations or past reviews, rather than what’s trending right now. Travellers, social explorers, and everyday users often waste time deciding where to go or miss out on great experiences due to a lack of live, vibe-based insight.

VIB3 solves this by mapping the real-time energy of places, events, and people, using AI, mood signals, and crowd-based data, so users can instantly discover the right vibe that matches their mood or intent.

On the business side, venues, tourism boards, and entertainment brands are eager for tools that show live crowd insights, boost visibility, and drive foot traffic, making our B2B analytics and vibe-mapping highly monetizable.

VIB3 is a mobile-first, AI-powered social discovery platform that helps users find the real-time “vibe” of locations, events, and experiences around them. The app lets users explore an interactive map powered by mood-based check-ins, user-generated content, live crowd insights, and smart filters (e.g., chill, party, creative, romantic). Whether someone is new in town, travelling, or just deciding where to go on a Friday night, VIB3 cuts through the noise and provides live, vibe-aligned recommendations, not outdated reviews or static posts.

For businesses, VIB3 offers geo-fenced promotions, real-time vibe analytics, and crowd engagement tools to increase foot traffic and visibility in high-energy moments. Our B2B platform empowers venues, tourism boards, and entertainment brands to turn social energy into measurable growth.

Direct Competitors:
- Instagram – While not a vibe-discovery app, users rely on it for social updates and trending places. However, it lacks real-time mood-based filtering or location-based vibe insights.

- Snapchat (Snap Map) – Offers a real-time friend map and event stories, but it is limited to friend networks and doesn’t provide open access to public vibe data or mood discovery.

- Waze (Events & Places) – Offers real-time location data and user reporting, but it’s focused on traffic, not social energy or mood.

- Eventbrite & Fever – These platforms help users find events but lack real-time engagement, mood filtering, or live interaction.

Indirect Alternatives / Behaviours:
- Users currently check multiple apps (Instagram, Google Maps, WhatsApp, etc.) to decide where to go.

- Word-of-mouth, WhatsApp groups, and local influencers are still widely used for social planning, but lack structure and live data.

Advantages and Differentiators
Uncopyable Advantages:
Real-Time VIBE Map powered by user mood check-ins and live AI-driven mood detection, creating a dynamic, always-changing layer of social energy data.

Mood-Based Discovery Engine: No competitor filters places and experiences by how they feel in the moment, which is the core of VIB3’s offering.

Crowd-Based Energy Mapping: Live, participatory feedback creates a vibe layer that cannot be replicated through static content or reviews.

Key Differentiators:
- AI Personalisation: Smart filters match users with locations and events that align with their mood, behaviour, and social preferences.

- TRIB3 & DRIV3 Features: Group-based planning, carpooling, and meetups within the app—blending logistics with discovery.

- Reels & Content Integration (R33LS): Enables users to see real-time experiences and share the vibe visually, enhancing credibility and engagement.

- Gamification & Rewards: Encouraging check-ins, vibe tracking, and social sharing through a points system and potential loyalty integration.

- Business VIBE Analytics: Real-time crowd insights and engagement tools for event organisers and venues to measure, influence, and monetise energy.

Freemium Model with Premium Subscriptions

Basic Access: Free

Premium Tiers:
Basic Premium: $1.50/month (R25)
Enhanced Premium: $3/month (R50)
Elite Premium: $4.50/month (R75)

- Offers features like advanced mood filters, live VIBE insights, tribe features, and VIP event access.
- B2B Features for Businesses & Events.
- Geo-Fencing Tools: Real-time location-based promotions.
- VIBE Analytics Dashboard: Insights into crowd activity, sentiment, and engagement.

Sponsored Listings & Boosts: Paid placements on the map

- Monthly B2B Subscriptions: From $99–$499/month, based on feature tier and location reach.
- In-App Advertising.
- Location-aware ad placements.
- Sponsored reels, banners, and event pages.

Cost Structure:

Development & Technology
- App development, cloud infrastructure, AI model training.
- Marketing & User Acquisition.
- Influencer campaigns, digital ads, launch activations.

Salaries & Talent
- Engineers, designers, marketing, and support staff
- Operations & Legal
- Platform compliance, admin, and third-party tools

Financial Expectations (Next 5 Years):

Year 1: $250,000 revenue – focus on MVP + early user monetisation.
Year 2: $750,000+ revenue – driven by premium conversions and business partnerships.
Year 3: $1.5M+ revenue – scaling globally and expanding B2B analytics.
Year 4–5: $3M–$5M+ revenue – growing international footprint, enterprise tools, and ads.

Business Model, Channels, and Metrics
Business Model:
VIB3 operates on a dual-sided platform model:

- B2C via freemium-to-premium app subscriptions.
- B2B via paid tools for businesses to promote and track real-time crowd engagement.

Channels:
- App Stores (iOS & Android).
- Social Media Campaigns (Instagram, TikTok, Twitter/X).
- Influencer partnerships & live launch activations.
- Strategic partnerships with tourism boards, festivals, and nightlife brands.

Key Metrics Tracked:
- Daily Active Users (DAU) / Monthly Active Users (MAU).
- Premium Subscription Conversion Rate.
- User Retention & Session Length.
- Geo-Fenced Campaign ROI for B2B clients.
- VIBE Map Interactions and Mood Filters Usage.
- Social Sharing, Content Creation, and Referral Growth.

Business Model:
VIB3 operates on a dual-sided platform model:
- B2C via freemium-to-premium app subscriptions.
- B2B via paid tools for businesses to promote and track real-time crowd engagement.

Channels:
- App Stores (iOS & Android).
- Social Media Campaigns (Instagram, TikTok, Twitter/X).
- Influencer partnerships & live launch activations.
- Strategic partnerships with tourism boards, festivals, and nightlife brands.

Key Metrics Tracked:
- Daily Active Users (DAU) / Monthly Active Users (MAU)
- Premium Subscription Conversion Rate
- User Retention & Session Length
- Geo-Fenced Campaign ROI for B2B clients
- VIBE Map Interactions and Mood Filters Usage
- Social Sharing, Content Creation, and Referral Growth

Product Development (35%)
- Finalising MVP features across iOS and Android
- Integrating core modules: LIVE VIBE Map, AI Mood Engine, TRIB3/DRIV3 features, and R33LS.
- UI/UX refinement and real-time geolocation systems.

Engineering Talent & Tech Stack (20%)

- Hiring full-stack developers.
- Cloud infrastructure (AWS, Firebase, APIs).
- Cybersecurity, testing, and performance optimisation.

Go-to-Market & User Acquisition (25%)

- Digital marketing, influencer partnerships, and event activations.
- Launch campaigns in key urban hubs (starting with South Africa and select U.S. cities).
- Content production and social media growth.

Operations & Admin (10%)

- Legal, IP registration, compliance.
- Business tools, CRM, and remote collaboration systems.
- Project management and admin support.

B2B Platform Build & Early Client Onboarding (10%)

- Development of the VIBE Analytics dashboard.
- Geo-fencing campaign setup and pilot business partnerships.
- Onboarding nightlife venues, event organisers, and tourism boards.

Product/Value Proposition:
VIB3 helps people instantly discover the real-time vibe of places, events, & experiences, so they never waste a moment in the wrong mood, at the wrong place.
Investor Offer:
We’re open to discussing equity offers during the meeting, depending on your interest, investment size, & strategic alignment. Our current funding round ranges from ZAR 3M–ZAR 10M ($170K–$580K), with 18–25% equity on the table.

Market Adoption Risk:
Users may be slow to adopt a new way of social discovery, especially if entrenched habits (like relying on Instagram or Google Maps) persist. Overcoming this requires strong onboarding, UX design, and viral network effects.

Competitive Response:
Large tech companies like Meta (Instagram) or Snap could release similar features if they see the traction VIB3 gains. However, VIB3’s vibe-mapping core, real-time engagement layer, and community-led energy data create defensibility through network effects and differentiation.

Tech & Data Privacy Risk:
Real-time data, mood-based check-ins, and geolocation features require careful handling of user privacy and data ethics. Regulatory compliance and transparent user controls will be critical.

Funding & Scalability Risk:
As with many pre-revenue startups, a lack of sufficient capital or technical resources could slow development and go-to-market momentum. We are actively addressing this through strategic fundraising, lean development, and phased rollout.

Economic Downturns or Travel Restrictions:
Since VIB3’s value increases with physical movement and events, global crises (like pandemics or recessions) could temporarily reduce usage. However, our model is built to adapt across industries—travel, nightlife, culture, and even everyday hotspots.

At this stage, VIB3 has not yet completed an incubation or acceleration program. However:

- We previously applied to Y Combinator and are preparing a stronger re-application for upcoming cohorts.

- We were recently selected to pitch at the Africa Innovation Den (April 2025), which connected us with angel investors and early-stage backers.

- We are actively exploring entry into select global accelerators, including Hub71 (UAE) and StartX (Stanford), to support international scaling.

VIB3 was selected to pitch at the Africa Innovation Den (April-July 2025)—a competitive startup event connecting Africa’s top early-stage ventures with angel investors and VCs in a crowdfunding-style format.

We are actively applying to additional startup competitions, including TechCrunch Startup Battlefield, GITEX Future Stars, and Seedstars Africa, to expand visibility and unlock new funding opportunities.

VIB3’s core features, including its real-time vibe-mapping engine, mood-based discovery algorithms, and AI-driven social recommendation system, are proprietary but not yet patented.

We are currently exploring IP protection routes for:

- Real-Time VIBE Mapping Layer
- Mood-Based Social Discovery AI
- Crowd-Sentiment Data Engine

No official patent or provisional filing has been submitted yet, but legal consultation is underway as part of our 12-month roadmap.