YILLIO Launches Discovery App Just in Time for Super Bowl

If you’re headed to the Super Bowl on February 2, chances are you’re going to need some recommendations on restaurants, shopping and cheap gasoline for the trip.  YILLIO, a North Carolina-based startup, is launching its free iOS and Android app just in time for the big game at MetLife stadium to help visitors find spots on the way and navigate the area.

YILLIO’s app is different from location-based apps like Foursquare and Yelp because it focuses on an entire route that may be 50 or 60 miles long instead of just what’s directly around you.  Foursquare, for example, just gives you recommendations based on what’s a mile or two in your vicinity.

“With Yillio, what we’re doing is focused strictly on the user’s route, and a deviated distance off of the route and we will search along that route–it could be 60,70 miles ahead,” said Tully Ryan, co-founder and president of YILLIO.  “People are always moving and no one really wants to backtrack for a cup of coffee when you can find a cup of coffee on the way.”

After plotting your destination on the YILLIO map, you can select what types of businesses you want to stop at on the way, such as gas stations, restaurants, and shopping.  From there, you can drill down and select your specific preferences such as types of cuisine or price for gas.   YILLIO allows you to select what time you want to stop and how far you want to deviate from your route. From there, you just press the “start navigation” button and the app does everything for you.

One bonus of YILLIO over its other location-based apps is that it has so much built inside of it so you don’t have to jump from app to app.  YILLIO gives you real time gas prices at over 175,000 gas stations nationwide, while at the same time letting you select “gluten free” as your food preference.  I don’t know of one app that can do all of that.

The way that YILLIO searches for stops on the way is part of their patented technology.  The app uses a route-based search engine and social map to utilize location, navigation, and a variety of contextual inputs to match mobile users with relevant places.

Merchants can also take advantage of the app by signing up for free and creating real-time advertising messages for commuters and drivers before they pass them by.  YILLIO said that it has over 200,000 merchants already participating providing real-time messaging and gas prices.

“Merchants have an interface where they’re able to provide YILLIO with self-reported information like gas prices, promotions like specials,” Ryan said.

So if you’re going to the big game February 2, you might want to download YILLIO.  You don’t want to get stuck with chicken wings on the drive if you’re a tofu-type of gal ;)