Meet the Founder: The Story Behind Urbanary

Urbanary began with a simple frustration shared by thousands of people across Leeds: choosing where to go. Behind that simple idea is its founder, James, who took a familiar city problem and decided to build something that would make discovering Leeds easier, smarter and more enjoyable.

This is the story of how Urbanary came to life.

A Problem Hiding in Plain Sight

Like most ideas, Urbanary started with a real-life challenge. After years of nights out, meet-ups, dinners, and endless group-chat debates, James noticed the same pattern repeating itself: Leeds is full of incredible venues, yet people were struggling to decide where to go.

Too much choice. Too little clarity. Too many generic lists written by people who don’t live here. Too many recommendations that didn’t match the moment, the vibe or the people.

There had to be a better way.

A Background Built on People

Before building Urbanary, James spent years working in customer service, sales, training, sports therapy and leadership roles across multiple industries. What all those worlds had in common was people... understanding them, helping them, and solving real problems.

Urbanary didn’t appear out of nowhere. It was the natural next step for someone who has always focused on improving experiences, building communities and finding practical solutions.

Seeing Leeds Through a Different Lens

With deep roots in Leeds and a love for the city’s independent scene, James saw an opportunity to build something that truly reflected the character of Leeds not a generic directory, not a national platform, but something purpose-built for the city.

Urbanary was shaped by:

- real conversations with venue owners,

- late-night notes app ideas,

- hundreds of hours of planning and refining,

- and a belief that discovering local places should feel exciting, not stressful.

Built With the Hospitality Community

One of the defining parts of James’ journey was how willing the Leeds hospitality industry was to get involved. Venues opened their doors, gave feedback, asked questions, and shared ideas. That openness helped shape Urbanary into a platform built with the city, not just for it.

A Vision for the Future

Urbanary is only beginning. For James, this platform represents far more than recommendations it’s a long-term commitment to supporting local businesses, encouraging exploration and celebrating the culture that makes Leeds unique.

The vision is simple:

To make discovering your city effortless.

What’s Next

As Urbanary launches and continues to grow, James remains focused on expanding features, strengthening partnerships, and eventually taking Urbanary to new cities across the UK.

But Leeds will always be where it started, the place that inspired it, supported it and made it possible.

Urbanary is live. And this is just the beginning.