Autio is a travel story telling app. Through this app, the traveler gets information about the history and culture of different places to which they are traveling. People can enjoy their road trip by knowing about that place through this app.
The original name of this company was HearHere and it was founded in 2020 by Woody Sears, Bill Werlin and Kevin Costner. On June 2022, the name of this company was re-branded in Autio. One gets to know about the service of the company by its name.
Every place has a story which will reflect the merits of the place. Story is a means to know about the old civilization and achievement of the place.
There are many travelers who go to different places and try to know about the story of the place from the local people. Autio app is exactly like that, through this app travelers can know about the story of their travel place.
To fund this startup, Woody Sears appeared on Shark Tank and asked the sharks for $1,000,000 for 5% equity at $20 Million Valuation. This is an innovative startup and there is a great need for this service in today’s time of technology. There are more than 500k people who are using this app.
What Is Autio?
Autio is a Santa Barbara, California based story telling app that tells the story of various places in the United States to the traveler. 10,399 stories from coast-to-coast of United States are available in this app.
The user will be able to explore the stories of their nearby location through this app. All the stories in this app have been told by master storytellers such as Kevin Costner, Phil Jackson, and John Lithgow.
All the stories in this app are based on culture, history, local insights, music, natural wonders and sports of that specific place.
After installing this app, you get to listen 5 stories for free, after that 30 days, 1 year, and 3 years plan will have to be taken. In this, stories can also be downloaded and heard offline. This app is available for iPhone and has been downloaded over 500,000 times.
| Company Name | Autio |
| Founder | Woody Sears, Bill Werlin and Kevin Costner |
| Founded | 2020 |
| Product | Audio for Travel |
| Asked For | $1M for 5% equity |
| Final Deal | No Deal’s |
| Shark | No Sharks |
| Episode (Shark Tank USA) | S14 E17 |
| Air Date | Mar 17, 2023 |
| Business Status | In Business |
| Website | Visit Website |
| Headquarters | Santa Barbara, California, United States |
| Lifetime Worth (Sales) | TBD |
| Go To Amazon | $3M *estimated |
| Watch On | Amazon Prime |
Another Shark Tank Pitch
Who Is The Founder Of Autio?
This startup was founded in 2020 under the name “HearHere” by Woody Sears, Bill Werlin and Kevin Costner. Rebranded in June 2022 to Autio name.
Woody Sears
Sears is the co-founder and CEO of this company. He has studied MBA from Pepperdine University. He has received many awards like Innovation Awards, iKids Awards etc.
Bill Werlin
Werlin is the co-founder and content creator of this company. He was born in the Colorado Mountain Territory and grew up working in the ski area with his family.
Kevin Costner
Costner is another co-founder of this company, apart from this he is also a producing and actor. He has received Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards twice for his work.
Autio Before Shark Tank
On August 2020, this entertainment company was launched under the name HearHere with 1500 stories in the West Coast area. At present, this app is available only for iOS users and will soon be available for Android.
Prior to this company, Sears had founded Zuuka, a iStoryTime library app, although it was later sold. In 2021, this subscription-based audio road-trip app raised $1.6 million in pre-seed funding.
Kevin Costner is a neighbor of Sears and he liked this business idea very much, so he decided to invest in this business. In 2021, 5,500 stories from 22 states of America were made available on this app.
In February 2022, the company raised $3.2 million in a seed round led by RV and outdoor retailer Camping World, according to TechCrunch.
This app has received the 2022 Webby Award Winner for Best Travel App. This is a very good app for the traveler to know about the history of the place.
How Was The Shark Tank Pitch Of Autio?
Woody Sears enters Shark Tank and asks the sharks for $1 million for 5% equity. The sharks were astonished after hearing this demand. Woody told how Autio helps the traveler in telling the history of the specific location and the stories related to it.
The average length of a story is 3 minutes and it can go up to 20 minutes. Their sales so far in 2022 were $700,000 and in 2021 their sales were $210,000. They are currently at a $2 million annual run rate.
So far they have raised $3.5 million. Currently this app has 15,000 paid members, 210,000 registered users and 0.5 million downloads. 70% of users renew in paid subscribers. Initially the customer acquisition was $38 but now it is $10.
All the sharks refused to invest in this business except Kevin. Kevin O’Leary offered $1 million for 15% equity. Woody counters Kevin for $1 million for 6.5% equity. Kevin countered 12% equity. Woody countered 7% equity.
Kevin countered another 10% equity but Woody would not go over 7% equity. The deal on Shark Tank did not happen because Woody was not going to go above 7% equity.
Finalize: Autio couldn’t find a deal on Shark Tank.
Autio Shark Tank Update
The co-founder of this company, Woody Sears, after entering the shark tank, explained his business to the sharks. He also gave information about the funding so far and the total subscription user of this app. There was a lot of discussion on this business idea between the co-founder and the shark.
We’re following Woody Sears, Bill Werlin and Kevin Costner along with their company for further updates.
What Is The Net Worth of Autio?
The current estimated worth of Autio is $20 million. This startup was started in 2020 and so far this startup has raised a total estimated $4.8 million funding. This is the second startup of Woody Sears, his first startup was Zuuka and this startup raised $2 million funding.
Is Autio Still In Business?
Since 2020, this company has been growing very well and stories from many states of America have become available in this app. This app is a very good source to know about the history of different places.
Millions of people are using this app in the present time. Many media publications like Forbes, The New York Times, Outside, TechCrunch have featured this startup.
The company’s current headquarters is in Santa Barbara, California, United States, and it employs 11-50 people, according to LinkedIn.
Yes, Autio is still in business as of March 2023.
frequently asked questions
Who founded Autio?
Autio was founded in 2020 by Woody Sears.
How much funding has Autio raised to date?
The company has so far raised an estimated $4.8 million in funding.
