Croatian startup SightRun has designed an app for exploring Graz ‘at a running pace’

The Croatian startup SightRun has enhanced the tourist offer of Austrian Graz with its free running and sightseeing app, they reported on Tuesday after the presentation in Graz, which also includes Zagreb, Rovinj, Opatija, and Munich in the app.

“The SightRun app connects running and sightseeing, using the GPS system of the mobile phone to activate audio recordings, and it was presented in Graz and included in the offer with the support of Energie Steiermark and Graz Tourismus,” emphasizes co-founder of the startup Sandra Bortek.

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“With SightRun, we have elevated city sightseeing to a new level and are helping them become ‘runner friendly’,” Bortek stated, adding that this is one of the so-called smart city solutions that the new generation of travelers needs and seeks.

Bortek reminds that the collaboration with Graz came about because SightRun was one of the winners of the ‘boot camp’ of the Next incubator, an innovation laboratory of Energie Steiermark, which provided the opportunity to work on further development of the app with the support of a professional team.

“Even an energy company must undergo digital transformation and can no longer rest and rely solely on its previous business, especially if it wants to remain competitive and future-oriented. Digital advantages and new technologies open up a rich and interesting potential for various business models. That is why we launched the incubator three years ago, focusing on startup projects. We are currently looking for IoT business models, and the competition is open until the end of May,” stated Christian Purrer, CEO of Energie Steiermark, at the presentation of the Croatian app in Graz.

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The director of the Graz Tourist Board, Dieter Hardt-Stremayr, expressed satisfaction that the city also has such an offering, as Graz is seeing an increasing number of visitors, mostly business travelers, who like to be active during their stay in the city and do not want to give up their daily running routine.

“With this app, they have access to a pre-prepared running route, and along the way, they learn interesting facts about the city, which has already been well received,” he emphasized.