🚀 Hey Product Hunt! We’re launching Locoround — Where Your Neighbourhood Comes Alive

I’ve spent a lot of time walking through neighbourhoods, and one thing really stood out to me — we’ve become super disconnected from our local communities. You know those old-school bulletin boards in coffee shops or community centres where people put up flyers about events, sales, or local news? They’re either gone or ignored. So I built Locoround to bring that idea into the digital world in a simple, fun way.

We’re missing out on so many cool things happening right around us. That food truck you didn’t know was parked down the street, a local artist’s popup, your neighbour’s garage sale — all of it gets lost in a sea of global social media posts. The internet is great at connecting us to the world, but terrible at connecting us to our own neighbourhoods.

Small businesses and local creators also have a hard time reaching people nearby. Running ads on big platforms is expensive and not really made for local stuff. Even when they try, their posts get buried under everything else. On the other side, people are always wondering “what’s happening near me today?” but there’s no good way to find out, unless you’re in the right Facebook group or happen to walk past a flyer on a wall.

That’s why I made Locoround. It’s like a live map of your neighbourhood where people can post digital flyers called “handbills.” You can see what’s happening around you in real-time, like a community board that’s always up-to-date. Posting is super easy, and it’s designed to feel like the physical world, where eye-catching flyers naturally get attention.

You might be thinking — isn’t this kinda like Nextdoor, Facebook Groups, or even Google Maps? Good question! But Locoround is built for a different vibe.

Nextdoor and Facebook Groups are mostly text-based posts and discussion threads. You have to scroll through a lot of random stuff — sometimes drama, sometimes old posts — just to find something useful. Locoround is more about visual discovery. You open a map, and you instantly see what’s going on around you through digital flyers. It’s like walking past a real bulletin board, where colourful posters naturally catch your eye.

Google Maps is great for finding places that are always there, like restaurants or stores. But it’s not designed for temporary or pop-up things. You won’t see a garage sale happening down the street today, or a food truck that’s only there for a few hours. Locoround fills that “what’s happening right now near me?” gap. It’s a simple way to make small, local happenings visible to people who are actually nearby.

Here’s how it works:

🎯 Dynamic Visibility — The more people like, comment, or interact with a handbill, the bigger it appears on the map. If something’s popular, it’ll stand out more, just like in real life, where some posters grab your attention better than others.

📌 Two Types of Posts:

• Boards — Permanent spots for businesses, artists, or community groups. It’s like having your own little section on the neighbourhood board.

• Flyers — Quick posts for things like events, garage sales, lost pets, or anything temporary that needs to be seen fast.

🤖 AI Search that Feels Natural — You don’t need to search with exact keywords. Just type something like “coffee shop with live music” or “things to do with kids this weekend,” and our AI will find handbills that match, even if the words aren’t exact. It looks at the photos and descriptions to understand what you’re looking for.

So, what problems does Locoround solve? A bunch, actually:

• It helps small businesses and creators get noticed locally without paying for ads. They can reach real people walking around their area.

• It helps locals find out what’s going on near them today. Not big concerts or city events, but small, casual, neighbourhood stuff.

• It gives people an easy way to share local happenings. You don’t need to build a website or start an event page — just drop a flyer on the map.

• It brings back the fun of discovering things by chance. Social media shows you what’s trending globally, but Locoround shows you cool things right next to you.

• It keeps things relevant. You’ll only see posts that are nearby, so no more scrolling through unrelated content.

Why now? After the pandemic, many of us are craving genuine, local connections. We’re spending more time at home, exploring our neighbourhoods, and wanting to support local businesses. But the tools we have today aren’t built for that. Locoround is here to fill that gap — blending our digital habits with real-world community vibes.

We’re live and would love your feedback! Try posting a handbill in your area and see what’s around you. Let’s bring some magic back to local discovery.

Ask me anything! 🙌