Introducing the Cypriot startup The XO App

For the past three years, Stelios Papadopoulos, Raphael Stavrides and Alexandros Assiotis have been toiling away on an application to bring some order to the messy affair of the ‘going out’ experience.

Their brainchild, The XO App – named after the Greek word “exo” meaning “out” – will launch as an MVP (minimal viable product) by the end of 2024, focusing on event discovery and booking. But the young founders have grander ambitions for the app: a one-stop shop for the young and restless to plan their nocturnal adventures from start to finish.

The issue with the ‘going out’ experience, co-founder Stelios Papadopoulos explains, is that finding and booking events happens on different platforms that don’t communicate with each other. It becomes much like a treasure hunt but with no rewards and more headaches. Indeed, the app was born from the founders’ collective frustration with this disjointed ordeal. “And the problem is not just with discovery and booking, but also with everything that happens after,” co-founder Raphael Stavrides adds.

Stelios Papadopoulos

Papadopoulos and Assiotis, drawing on their backgrounds in economics and management, and Stavrides, who brings an interesting blend of actuarial science and hands-on hospitality experience as a bartender and event creator, plan for the app to have a payment infrastructure, where users can order drinks, split the bill and settle up, all within the same sleek interface.

Raphael Stavrides

“We are going to accomplish all of these through a strategic partnership that we have secured with an established hospitality software provider,” Papadopoulos notes. These payment features are in vogue with the Gen Z cohort, the startup’s target audience, and can also be a goldmine for venue operators, as they offer a new data pipeline to exploit. According to co-founder Raphael Stavrides, the hospitality industry, especially in Cyprus, is not particularly data-driven, so The XO App, acting as a marketplace, will consolidate their customers into a single point. This will in parts eliminate the anonymity that often plagues customer interactions, especially for tourists. “You’ll know who's entering your venue and you will give them a good table because you know they are a big spender in another country,” Stavrides explains, adding that this kind of intelligence opens up significant upselling opportunities.

Conversations with operations and PR managers in the local industry have revealed a keen interest in such a service and talks with managers of well-known restaurants in London – where Papadopoulos and Assiotis are currently stationed – have also shown that this solution will simplify their operations. This palpable interest has been compelling enough for the founders to expedite the MVP launch and consider testing it besides Cyprus in select, high-profile venues in London. Papadopoulos adds, "We've also been thinking that the Mediterranean and Middle East region, where cultures are very similar to our own, could provide a good opportunity to focus our efforts."

Going back to the end user, the founders also plan for the app to feature a built-in group chat to coordinate the night’s escapades; however, they are adamant about sidestepping the social media label, as the goal is to keep things hassle-free and not cluttered with endless notifications and distractions. “It is a fine line,” Stavrides admits, “but we want the chat to be just for efficiency – for things like making sure everybody is on time, who’s making the reservations, and that sort of thing.” More importantly, the app will act as a digital concierge, leveraging AI, to offer personalised experiences for each user. By gathering insights from a few targeted questions during signup, analysing user behaviour and tracking what’s trending it would make recommendations spanning everything from events to preferred drinks. “We want to be your nightlife passport,” Stavrides says, “so that your whole journey is a few clicks away.”

Founders: Stelios Papadopoulos, Raphael Stavrides, Alexandros Assiotis

What is it? An app to enhance discoverability and a seamless booking journey for nightlife and entertainment events.

Stage: Pre-seed.

Funds received: In discussions.

What it aspires to be: A personalised, all-in-one solution for nightlife and entertainment events powered by AI, with a focus on Gen-Z and beyond.

Funds needed: €300,000.

(This interview first appeared in the September edition of GOLD magazine. Click here to view it.)