The $20M Mile: How Autio Narrates the Open Road and Nearby Stories
How Autio turned a road trip curiosity into a $20M business. Discover why the founder walked away from a million-dollar Shark Tank deal and won big.
You probably love the idea of traveling—a summer road trip where your eyes wander as far as the horizon. Whether you're in the driver’s seat or just a passenger, you might have the FM radio on, a Spotify playlist going, or an audiobook playing.
But eventually, you get bored. You get curious about the view outside the window. You want to know the story: What is special about this place? Why does it look like that? What lies beyond that hill?
Woody Sears thought exactly about this. He imagined a world where people could listen to the landscape as they drove through it. This sparked the idea for HearHere, which was later rebranded as Autio.
The concept is simple: you download the app and start driving. Using geolocation, it narrates stories about your exact surroundings in real-time. As your GPS coordinates change, the stories change with them. It’s like having a local historian in the passenger seat—though you can enjoy the stories from the comfort of your home, too.
The Million-Dollar Standoff
Woody’s journey took him to the stage of Shark Tank, where he made a bold ask: $1 million for 5% equity, placing his company at a $20 million valuation.
At the time, he arrived with a library of over 9,000 professional stories (history, sports, culture, music, geology, pretty much everything you can think of), ranging from 3 to 20 minutes long. These weren't just any narrators; he had world-class voices like Kevin Costner and Phil Jackson telling the tales. Despite the star power, most of the Sharks were skeptical. They argued that Autio was just a "feature," not a standalone business, believing it might eventually be swallowed up by Google Maps or other tech giants.
Woody stood his ground with impressive numbers:
- Business Model: $36/year subscription for unlimited streaming.
- Traction: 15,000 paid subscribers with a strong 50-70% retention rate.
- Reach: 210,000 registered accounts and over 500,000 downloads.
After a heated debate, Kevin O'Leary offered $1 million for 10% equity. Woody countered with 7% (5% equity + 3% advisory shares). Refusing to undervalue his vision or compromise his cap table, Woody stayed firm. He walked out of the Tank with No Deal.
The Plot Twist
In the world of business, a "No Deal" isn't always a "No Success."
Immediately after the episode aired in March 2023, the "Shark Tank Effect" took hold. Downloads surged by 464%, subscriptions jumped by 105%, and web traffic skyrocketed by a staggering 1,600%.
The real victory came just weeks later. Autio announced a fresh funding round of $5.9 million—nearly six times what Kevin O’Leary had offered—led by iHeartMedia. This partnership was a masterstroke; iHeartMedia provided more than just cash—they provided a massive radio network to promote the app, directly solving the marketing concerns the Sharks had raised.
Where They Are Now
By 2025, Autio has proven its critics wrong. The company hit an annual revenue of roughly $2 million and expanded its library to more than 23,000 stories. They have even begun international expansion into places like Singapore and the Bahamas.
Woody Sears didn't just build an app; he proved that if you know the true value of your "mile," you don't have to settle for less.