Ditch the Tours, Get Personal Stories With This App – Guidel Startup Review

Big tour groups. Hard to hear. Stuck to their schedule. Audio guides? Generic and boring. You want to explore at your own speed, right? To really connect with a place, you need the stories. Not just dates and names but the real stories.

What if you could walk around a new city and hear fascinating, personal stories about what’s around you? Stories that match your interests. That’s the idea behind Guidel. This app is changing how people see the world. Forget the tours. It’s all about personal stories now.

We interviewed the founder to learn how they’re making travel more personal than ever.

What is Guidel?

Guidel is an AI-powered mobile app designed to transform how you experience cultural sites and art objects. If you’re the kind of traveller who likes to dive deeply into the stories behind each landmark, you’ll find Guidel intriguing. It offers audio stories personalised to your interests, whether it’s history, architecture, or local legends. Users can select any landmark and hear a story that aligns with what captivates them.

The app caters to culture enthusiasts ranging from solo adventurers to curious families, particularly those aged 25 to 45. If you love the thrill of exploring new places but dislike the confines of traditional tours, Guidel gives you the freedom to roam on your schedule. This flexibility makes the app appealing to those who value unique insights over generic content.

Facing challenges with traditional guided tours? High costs and generic information often make these services unattractive to many. Guidel addresses this by offering a user-friendly platform that provides engaging, cost-effective storytelling that is available in your preferred language. The app even includes a feature allowing you to scan unfamiliar landmarks for instant stories. With these capabilities, Guidel creates a more personalised and accessible travel experience, setting it apart from conventional options.

Guidel Founders

Oguzhan Gok stands as the driving force behind Guidel. Often, you find founders with backgrounds rooted deeply in the tech industry, but Oguzhan takes a different path. A curious traveller at heart, his background is steeped more in journeys across cultures than conventional tech boardrooms. It’s this trajectory—experiencing firsthand the dullness of traditional tours—that set the stage for Guidel.

When you look at the founding team of Guidel, Oguzhan isn’t alone in this venture. Alongside him is Leo, the tech mind leading AI innovations, ensuring that the app’s storytelling keeps pace with users’ desires. Yusuf and Selen, master developers, stitch together the seamless user experience. They all share a common goal: reimagining how travellers engage with culture via personalised stories. It’s less about the tech itself and more about what the tech can deliver.

In the early days, obstacles loomed large for this small team of four. Picture them navigating the murky waters of startup challenges, with each team member wearing multiple hats. Oguzhan’s vision needed more than just tech; it needed rhythm and soul. But those countless hours spent fine-tuning AI algorithms while balancing ambition with capacity began paying off. Slowly yet surely, Guidel transformed from a set of ideas into a functioning app.

The inception of Guidel didn’t spring from the desire to merely launch a travel app. It unfolded from personal frustration and a longing for authentic stories over mechanised dates. These founders, seasoned travellers themselves, realised the inadequacies of existing tours—rigid, impersonal, and often not even offered in languages they could understand. They yearned for a travel companion that would grant them the freedom to explore on their terms. That’s how Guidel was born. Not from boardroom strategies but from the roads travelled, stories heard, and the wish to craft something as engaging as a personal travel diary.

Interview with Oguzhan Gok, Co-Founder of Guidel

We had the chance to sit down with Oguzhan Gok, the founder of Guidel, to understand more about their vision. It turns out the motivation behind Guidel is quite relatable. Here’s how our conversation went.

Q: Oguzhan, could you tell us a bit about yourself and your role at Guidel?
A: I’m Oguzhan Gok, one of the co-founders of Guidel. My position is essentially that of a CEO, so I focus on the overall direction and strategy of the company. I make sure we’re building something that truly helps modern travellers.

Q: For those who are just hearing about Guidel, what exactly does your startup do?
A: Guidel is a mobile app that uses AI to give you personalised audio stories about tourist sites or art pieces around you. Imagine walking around and your phone tells you interesting stories about what you’re seeing, tailored to what you like.

Q: Who is Guidel really for? Who are you trying to help with this app?
A: We’re aiming at curious travellers. People who really want to get to grips with the culture of a place and want personal experiences. This could be anyone from someone travelling alone to families. Typically, they are between 25 and 45, comfortable with technology, and keen on uncovering the stories behind the places they go. They are often independent travellers who prefer to set their own pace, value getting unique insights, and enjoy experiences that really pull them in.

Q: What problem are you trying to solve for these travellers? What’s the pain point?
A: Many travellers find traditional guided tours frustrating. They can be expensive, the information is often generic, and they might not be available in your language. People are looking for a way to learn more that’s easy, engaging, and doesn’t break the bank. They want to get more out of their travels, whether it’s a quick city break or a longer trip, even when they are close to home.

Q: And how does Guidel solve this problem? What’s your approach?
A: Guidel is a mobile app that changes how travellers connect with cultural stories. We use technology to create a travel companion that is flexible, personal, and immersive. The app has a map showing landmarks and interesting spots nearby, anywhere in the world. You pick a place, and you get to hear a story about it that matches what you are interested in – history, art, local legends, whatever you like. If you come across something that isn’t in our system yet, you can just take a photo, and Guidel will recognise it and tell you its story. It works in your language, making it accessible to travellers everywhere. We focus on what each person likes, offering stories in a way that feels natural. It replaces rigid tour groups and old audio guides with something that’s easy to use, interesting, and completely on your terms.

Q: Tell us about the team behind Guidel. Who are the people making this happen?
A: Our team is really passionate about using tech to change how people experience culture. There’s me, Oguzhan, as co-founder and product owner. I handle the overall vision. Then there’s Leo, our co-founder and tech lead, who is in charge of the tech side, especially the AI features that make Guidel work. We also have Yusuf and Selen, who are our developers. They build and maintain the app itself, making sure it’s smooth and enjoyable to use. Together, we bring the leadership, tech skills, and development expertise needed to create Guidel.

Q: What was the spark? What made you decide to start Guidel in the first place?
A: It came from our own travels, actually. We kept running into the same issues with guided tours. They were inflexible, impersonal, and sometimes not even in a language we understood! Audio guides weren’t much better – often outdated or just boring. We wanted a better way to explore culture, something more personal and adaptable. As travellers ourselves, we love discovering stories, but we wanted something that worked around our schedule and interests. That’s where Guidel began. We wanted to build the travel companion we always wished we had, and now we’re excited to share it with others.

Q: What were some of the biggest challenges you faced in the early days of Guidel?
A: In the beginning, a big challenge was figuring out how to make cultural storytelling both personal and something we could offer to many people. Building an app that gives tailored, interesting stories for travellers around the world took a lot of work and new ideas. We spent ages testing AI to make sure the stories were not just correct but also matched what users actually wanted to hear. Another challenge was being a small team with big goals. There were only four of us – me, Leo as CTO, and Yusuf and Selen as developers. We had to do everything, from designing the app to writing the first stories. It was all about focusing on what travellers needed most and staying focused on what we wanted to achieve. By working together, being creative, and putting in a lot of late nights, we got through these challenges. Each problem we solved taught us more about what travellers need, helping us to improve Guidel into the app it is today.

Q: How is Guidel different from other travel apps or traditional tour options? What makes it stand out?
A: Guidel really stands out because of its personal and flexible approach to cultural exploration. Unlike regular tours or standard audio guides, Guidel uses AI to create stories that are specifically for each traveller’s interests, whether that’s history, art, or local stories. Travellers aren’t stuck to fixed times or generic information. They can explore at their own pace. Our app also has a “Scan & Listen” feature, so you can instantly learn about any monument or landmark you see, even if it’s not on our map yet. Plus, Guidel works in your language, making it accessible to travellers globally. Guidel isn’t just about facts. It’s about helping you feel more connected to the places you visit, in a way that’s personal, engaging, and free to use. This mix of personalisation, flexibility, and ease of access is what really sets us apart.

Q: Has Guidel received any funding? What does the financial picture look like?
A: No, Guidel hasn’t received external funding yet. Currently, we’re focused on getting users and improving the app experience. We haven’t started making money yet, as we want to make sure Guidel really meets the needs of travellers first. Once we introduce premium features, we plan to set up a revenue model that’s fair for users and sustainable for us. For now, our priority is building a strong, active user base.

Q: What’s next for Guidel? What are your plans for the future?
A: We’re really excited about the future of Guidel. Soon, we plan to add premium features to make the storytelling experience even better. This might include things like special themed tours, being able to use the app offline in remote areas, and more ways to personalise the experience based on user feedback. We’re also thinking about partnering with local guides, museums, and cultural sites to bring even richer, exclusive content to the app. Expanding our “Scan & Listen” feature to give more details about artworks and historical items is another priority. In the long term, we want Guidel to be the go-to travel companion for people around the world. We’re looking at adding augmented reality features and growing our content to cover even more destinations. Our goal is to keep improving, making cultural exploration more immersive, accessible, and meaningful for everyone.

Q: How is Guidel doing in terms of users and growth? Can you share any numbers?
A: Right now, Guidel has about 1,000 users per month. We’re really pleased to see our community of travellers growing as more people find out about the app. We’re still focused on making the user experience better and reaching more culture enthusiasts worldwide. We’re seeing about 20–30% user growth month-over-month since we launched our initial version. As we improve the app and do more marketing, we’re optimistic that this will continue, and we’ll see even bigger year-over-year growth as we introduce premium features and expand our reach.

Q: Finally, what advice would you give to someone thinking of starting their own business?
A: Start with a problem that you really care about solving. If you’re passionate about the problem, you’ll stay motivated when things get tough, as they inevitably will. Take the time to understand who you’re trying to help. Listen to what they need, not just what you think they need. Getting early feedback is so valuable and can shape your product in ways you wouldn’t expect. Don’t be afraid to start small. Your first product doesn’t need to be perfect; it just needs to get your idea out there. Use that early stage to learn and adapt quickly. Also, build a team around you that complements your skills and believes in your vision. You can’t do it all alone. And lastly, be persistent. Building something worthwhile takes time, and there will be setbacks. Stay focused on your mission, celebrate the small wins along the way, and never stop learning.

Feedough’s Take on Guidel

Guidel looks interesting. It’s trying to change how we experience places. Think about it – for ages, we’ve had tour groups or boring audio guides. Guidel throws that out. It’s about getting personal stories on your phone, tailored to what you like. This feels like a smart move. People want real connections when they travel, not just dry facts.

The big challenge for Guidel will be getting enough stories for everywhere people travel. And making sure these stories are actually good and keep users interested. But if they can crack that, they could really shake up the travel scene. Imagine every city having its own library of personal tales, ready on an app. It could become the new normal for exploring. Keep an eye on Guidel. They are trying something different, and it could just work.