Our mission & Why We Care

Our mission is to bring people together to protect the independent places that make communities feel alive.

Xplorable isn’t about nostalgia or rejecting modern life — it’s about choosing a more local world: real places, real people, real character.

We help people discover and share extraordinary independents, and help businesses stand proud as Certified Independent — building the Independent Map together, place by place.

Because real change doesn’t come from the top down. It starts with all of us, choosing different.

Meet our founders

Greg Barden
CEO  (AKA #Chiefxplorer)
Greg  is driven by a personal mission to see a world where humanity thrives through stronger local connections. His vision for xplore is to empower independent businesses and individuals to live more locally, building resilience and a sense of community. By creating a platform that encourages people to spend more time and money within their local areas, Greg aims to build a future where local businesses are at the heart of thriving communities around the world.
Paul Yarrow
CTO
Paul  has a deep personal love for the simple things in life, which has driven him to tirelessly work on nearly every bit of code that powers xplore today. Often working alone, Paul has brought to life a vision that aims to have a significant positive impact on communities worldwide. His dedication and passion are at the heart of xplore’s mission to connect and support local businesses and people.

How it all started...

From the streets of Lashkargāh in Afghanistan to the bazaars of Baghdad in Iraq, whilst serving in the British Special Forces, our founder Greg, repeatedly experienced and shared simple acts of humanity in situations where you would probably not expect it.

Often or not these experiences came about through the need to trade. Whether buying bread from the local baker in Afghanistan or coffee in Baghdad, these opportunities to trade on common ground pulled down barriers.

In 2013, having left the military and back in the UK, Greg came to realise that he didn’t want to live in a world where these opportunities to experience different people and trade didn’t exist. Enter xplorable, and a passion to build an alternative economy that revolved around independent businesses—the common ground wherever you are in the world.

Read Greg's letter

Almost there!

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Almost there!

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Get started with xplore!

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Download the Xplorable Go app!

Your all-in-one tool to set up and manage your business on the Xplorable map.