Big year on the horizon for unique app set to make finding street food vendors and pop-ups easier

2024 is set to be a big year for a groundbreaking and unique app, which will make finding pop-up events and street food vendors easier for people across Northamptonshire and beyond.

Indi Local, which is the brainchild of Vanessa Anderson, is set to launch early next year – with an online calendar and map already available to find out when and where businesses and events are going to be.

By submitting this information to the Indi Local team, more people can find and visit businesses and places they may have never heard of before.

Vanessa has lived in Northampton for the past decade since she moved from Milton Keynes, and saw a gap in the market for an easier way to find local food events, pop-ups and street food trucks in mid-June.

The calendar, map and Instagram page have already proved a success and, with a background in software development, Vanessa saw the opportunity to create an app.

You can read more of Vanessa’s journey in her first story with the Chronicle & Echo back in September, as part of the Help Our Hospitality campaign.

Since then, she has shared what is to come and the exciting year 2024 is set to be for Indi Local and Northamptonshire’s food and events scene.

“I set up the Instagram page and it was going from strength to strength,” said Vanessa. “I took a gamble to go to a tech conference – the Web Summit in Lisbon. It’s the biggest in the world, with 70,000 people.

“It was a really good opportunity to get in front of other tech start ups and get opinions from the community.

“We came back with a lot of interest from all over the world. It opened our eyes to how big this could get. There were people from Portugal, Spain and an ambassador to the Iranian government even came to our stall. They told us how their local communities could do with something like this.”

Describing the trip as a “really good and worthwhile experience”, Vanessa says it also made her realise she will need funding to get it to the place she wants it to be.

After returning from Lisbon, the Indi Local founder was pleased to host a Christmas party – inviting food truck owners, independent businesses and event organisers to come together.

“They’ve helped shape where we are now,” said Vanessa. “We had a lot of feedback from the community and we’re building it into the development plans. It showed how important it is to get feedback.”

The Indi Local app has been in the works since July, and will utilise each user’s GPS location to allow them to find what is local to them and when.

When asked what her biggest achievement with Indi Local has been in 2023, Vanessa said: “Bringing awareness to the pop up community. When I hear people say they’ve found a pop-up or artisan market because of Indi – or they come to the Instagram page to find out what’s going on – it’s the most rewarding thing.”

Vanessa’s biggest challenge has been “staying focused on what they are trying to achieve”. The app release date was pushed back to early next year to ensure they can incorporate feedback and new features.

“I quickly realised how big this app could be,” said Vanessa. “But I get carried away and have to bring myself back to the core.”

Alongside digesting the feedback they have received, surveys are being sent to food vendors, event organisers and Indi lovers.

The initial release date is soon to be set, with it being opened to businesses a couple of weeks earlier to onboard ahead of the public having access.

Vanessa was asked what message she wanted to send to Chronicle & Echo readers about the importance of supporting and celebrating independent businesses in 2024.

“One of the most important things is recognising that shopping small is not just about supporting a business, but a family and someone’s dream,” said Vanessa.

“They’ve taken the plunge and decided to start, some without help and no business or marketing experience. It can be really lonely and scary.

“You’ll be helping that person fulfil their dream. It’s so much more rewarding for the community when you put money back into your neighbours’ pockets.”

As Vanessa has combined her two passions – tech and independent businesses – she shared that it has taken “a lot of courage” to get to where she is today.

She said: “I was scared of opinions and not making it work. If I didn’t make that first move, I would never move anywhere.

“If you have something that you are passionate about, start small and it will snowball. But you’ve got to take the first small step.”

Indi Local is a full team affair as Vanessa receives support from family, namely her father and brother, and friends.

As they source, promote and visit food vendors and events for social media content, it is all hands on deck to ensure the Northamptonshire community is well-informed about what is going on.

For more information, visit Indi Local’s Instagram page here.