Where did the initial idea for Caught come from?
Mark: In 2014, I had the idea with friends to develop a game where we could leave virtual bombs for each other using our phones. If the other participant got close enough to the bomb, they would lose points. We wanted to create a last-man-standing concept in Amsterdam, where I was living at the time.
How did this idea evolve into Caught?
I developed a basic test application in Vondelpark while working as an IT consultant. During the first tests, I spoke with a colleague who had previously worked at an event agency where scavenger hunts and city games were usually played with pen and paper. That’s when I thought: why not create a kind of “WordPress” for this? The game I made had a limited lifespan, and it was uncertain if people would continue to enjoy it. By turning it into a platform, you give creative people the chance to develop cool concepts themselves.
We got the opportunity to pitch this idea to Taco from TB Events in Doetinchem. In 2016, they became our first customer. Their production department could digitize their various concepts. The timing couldn’t have been better: the rise of Niantic’s Pokémon GO in 2016 made everyone familiar with location-based apps.
Luuk, how did you get involved with Caught?
In 2017, I was working on a game app for my scouting association. We wanted to set up an activity where hundreds of participants would visit different locations and perform tasks there. A friend then pointed me to the Caught platform, which seemed to have exactly the features I needed.
In September 2017, Mark gave me access to a test account on Caught. After some back-and-forth communication, we successfully conducted the first edition of what later became “Lockdown Weert” in November, using Caught. Through this contact, I eventually started helping develop the platform, alongside my studies in ICT Software Engineering at Fontys in Eindhoven. Among other things, I developed the API integration that allows customers to automatically create Caught access codes from external booking systems.
And suddenly, you became a co-owner?
During my final year, I interned at Caught in Stuttgart, where I was at the forefront of the current version of the app. After graduation, I joined Caught full-time. The collaboration with Mark went so well that I became a co-owner of the company in 2021.
What does the future hold for Caught?
Since those early days, Caught has experienced tremendous growth. We now have clients all over the world and in different time zones. Our software continues to evolve. We’re working on integrating new technologies, such as augmented reality, to make the gaming experiences even more immersive. We’re also trying to make it easier and more accessible for companies with limited technical resources to sell concepts created with Caught. For example, in addition to our own white-label webshop for Caught activities, we’ve also developed integrations with booking programs like Bokún, Get Your Guide, and Viator (TripAdvisor).
We always listen to our users and take their feedback seriously to continually improve Caught. We have big plans to expand the platform and make it more accessible to everyone, from schools and businesses to tourist attractions.
We’re really just at the beginning of our journey. Together with our users, we want to keep exploring the possibilities of interactive, location-based games. Caught is a place where creativity and technology come together to offer unique experiences.
