MetroDeal

MetroDeal was a daily-deals and group-buying website founded in 2011 by Austrian entrepreneur Ralph Wunsch, who reportedly started the business alone with a single laptop from his apartment — selling his first deal within 15 minutes of launch and reaching roughly $1 million in monthly sales within about four months.

The company grew into one of the Philippines’ leading daily-deals platforms, offering discounts of up to 90% on restaurants, spas, activities, shopping, and travel, and briefly made headlines in 2014 for accepting Bitcoin as payment. On June 30, 2015, Japanese outsourcing and e-commerce firm Transcosmos acquired MetroDeal in a deal reported at a $30 million valuation.

MetroDeal continued operating under Transcosmos ownership for nearly a decade before the company announced it would permanently cease operations on May 31, 2024, closing out more than 13 years in business.

Aggregated consumer demand for steep discounts (up to 90% off) on restaurants, spas, activities, shopping, and travel bookings in the Philippines, using the daily-deals/group-buying model popular in the early 2010s.

Filipino consumers seeking discounted vouchers for dining, wellness, activities, shopping, and travel.

Grew from a single-founder, single-laptop operation into one of the country's leading daily-deals platforms without raising outside venture funding before its 2015 acquisition, and was an early (2014) local adopter of Bitcoin payments.

Acquired by Japanese firm Transcosmos on June 30, 2015 at a reported $30 million valuation; continued operating under Transcosmos ownership for nearly a decade before permanently ceasing operations on May 31, 2024, after more than 13 years in business. No live website is listed here since the service has been discontinued.