HYP3R

HYP3R is a San Francisco, California-based location-based marketing platform that leverages geosocial data and geofencing technology to track customer movements and facilitate real-time engagement. The company enables marketers, particularly in the travel and retail sectors, to analyze consumer behavior at physical locations and integrate this data with CRM systems for targeted customer acquisition. HYP3R has raised a total of $23 million in known funding, including a $17.3 million Series A round. This funding round was led by Structure Capital, Rokk3r Fuel, and Thayer Ventures, with participation from Silicon Valley Bank. Its platform serves notable customers such as Marriott International, 24 Hour Fitness, and Caesars Entertainment, utilizing a dataset of hundreds of millions of high-value consumers. Founded in 2015 by marketing entrepreneur Carlos Garcia, HYP3R operates on a subscription software-as-a-service model.

High-Level Overview

HYP3R is a location-based marketing platform that leverages geosocial and location data to enable brands to target and engage consumers in real-time, primarily serving travel, retail, fitness, and entertainment businesses.[1][2][3][4] It solves inefficient customer outreach by using data-driven targeting, geofencing, and social media insights to connect businesses with high-value travelers and on-site visitors, boosting acquisition and ROI through personalized campaigns.[1][4] The platform offers features like real-time analytics, automated outreach, CRM integrations (e.g., Salesforce, Adobe), and monitoring of geotagged social posts without hashtags.[1][2][4] HYP3R has raised over $6M initially, followed by a $17.3M Series A in 2021 (exact date not specified in sources), indicating solid growth momentum in digital marketing tech.[1][4]

(Note: A separate entity at hyp3rev.com builds electric supercars like an all-electric Defender with 600 hp, 300-mile range, and 0-60 mph in 3.6 seconds, but this appears unrelated to the marketing platform based on distinct domains, funding history, and focus.[5])

Origin Story

HYP3R was founded in 2015 by marketing entrepreneur Carlos Garcia.[1][4] Garcia, with a background in marketing, created the company to transform interruptive advertising into "welcome" real-time engagement using location data, inspired by how tech giants like Airbnb and Amazon disrupted retail and travel.[4] Early traction came from targeting geofenced locations like hotels, airports, gyms, and malls via anonymous mobile IDs and public social media posts, allowing brands to interact contextually (e.g., congratulating anniversaries at hotels).[4] The company evolved from broad ambitions across travel, retail, fitness, and entertainment to a sharpened focus on scalable traveler acquisition and geosocial insights.[1][3]

Core Differentiators

• Geosocial Data Mastery: Unlocks consumer behavior analysis on-location via geotagged social posts (no @-tags or hashtags needed), enabling non-disruptive, high-ROI engagement.[2][4]
• Real-Time Geofencing Tech: Tracks movement through anonymous device IDs at key sites, powering personalized campaigns that integrate with CRM tools like Salesforce and Adobe.[1][4]
• Targeted Traveler Acquisition: Data-driven tools for travel patterns, demographics, and interests, with automated outreach across social/email, outperforming traditional imprecise marketing.[1]
• Actionable Insights & Workflow Fit: Provides real-time analytics, campaign management, and complements (doesn't compete with) social platforms like Sprinklr by focusing on acquisition over publishing.[2][4]

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

HYP3R rides the location intelligence and real-time personalization wave in martech, fueled by post-pandemic travel recovery and data privacy shifts favoring contextual targeting over cookies.[4] Timing aligns with retail/travel digitization (e.g., Airbnb's model), where geofencing meets rising mobile/social data volumes for precise, scalable outreach amid ad fatigue.[1][3][4] Market forces like CRM proliferation and AI-driven insights favor it, as brands seek efficient acquisition in competitive sectors; HYP3R influences the ecosystem by setting standards for "welcome marketing," enabling smaller travel firms to compete with data giants.[2][4]

Quick Take & Future Outlook

HYP3R is poised to expand geofencing into AI-enhanced predictive targeting and emerging channels like AR/VR experiences, capitalizing on its $17M+ funding for global scale.[3][4] Trends like privacy-first data (e.g., post-GDPR evolutions) and hyper-local travel booms will shape its path, potentially growing influence via partnerships in Web3 loyalty or metaverse retail. As martech consolidates, HYP3R's focus on high-ROI, non-intrusive engagement positions it to redefine traveler acquisition, turning location data into enduring customer relationships—echoing its founding mission to make marketing truly welcome.[4]