Lancashire start-up scoops Google award for app

An app created by a Lancashire-based start-up has won a Google Play Award recognising it’s ‘delightful user experience’.

The World Around Me (WAM) App helps people find places to eat, drink, shop, stay, commute, or visit anywhere in the world and was recognised in the ‘Early Adopter’ category at the first Google Play Awards.

The app was created by Lancaster-based WT InfoTech, which was founded in 2012 by Tarun Sainani.

Tarun said the award is a ‘huge accolade’ for the business and could be a kick-start in forging partnerships with cities both across the UK and overseas.

WT InfoTech has received support from Boost Business Lancashire, initially Tarun was supported to develop a prototype of the app and then received further marketing guidance.

Tarun said: “Our mission is to connect people better with their immediate environment. So next time you are looking for a bank, ATM, cafe, pub, book store, grocery store, museum, bus stop, metro station, pharmacy, gym, spa, a place to pray or any place, then just WAM it. World Around Me is a great app for both locals and travellers.

“We have partnered with Porto Antico in the City of Genoa in Italy to promote World Around Me to tourists arriving this summer.

“We are keen to develop such partnerships with cities in the North West, after all World Around Me was built here.”

He added: “Lancashire is a great place for start-ups with global ambitions. Lancashire County Council gives great support in form of marketing and start-up support through Boost. We have benefitted from their services in our first year and third year of running and are thankful to them.”

The app uses augmented reality, which superimposes computer generated information onto the local environment viewed via a smart phone camera.

The user chooses what they want to know, turns on their smart phone camera and, wherever it points, information appears saying what amenities are nearby in that direction in 25 different languages.