Press & Media

About Emblem

Emblem: Digital Souvenirs is a mobile application that transforms how people explore and remember places. Users collect unique digital artworks tied to real locations, learn about their cultural and historical context, and support local artists.

The idea for Emblem emerged from the Universal Expo 2020 in Dubai – an event that gathered 192 countries and more than 25 million people. Founder Daniel Michels noticed that visitors were rushing past the content of each pavilion, the arts exposed, and the people creating it. After speaking with an artist from Chad who couldn't sell his paintings because they were too big or too expensive to transport, Daniel saw that people were mainly interested in getting stamps for their Expo Passport Souvenir, which sold more than 1 million units.

Daniel reimagined those stamps into something fun to collect while being artistic, authentic, accessible, educational, and truly memorable. Emblem transforms the Expo Passport into a "World's Digital Passport Souvenir App" – with stamps in the form of emblems created by artists, governments, or any private brand, available everywhere and every time.

In 2025, Emblem was recognized by UNESCO through the selection of founder Daniel Michels as one of 50 global Youth for Peace leaders, positioning the Luxembourg Passport 2026 project as a flagship example of using culture and creative expression for social cohesion.

Quick Facts

• Idea Origin: Universal Expo 2020, Dubai
• Headquarters: Luxembourg
• Founder & CEO: Daniel Michels
• App: Available on iOS and Android
• Recognition: UNESCO Youth for Peace 2025, University of Luxembourg My Big Idea Winner 2023

Founder

Daniel Michels is the founder and CEO of Emblem. A Luxembourg native, Daniel developed the concept for Emblem after attending the Universal Expo 2020 in Dubai, where he witnessed both the appeal of collectible passport stamps and the struggles of artists trying to reach visitors.

In August 2025, Daniel was selected by UNESCO's Social and Human Sciences Sector as one of only 50 young leaders worldwide for the inaugural Youth for Peace: UNESCO Intercultural Leadership Programme, chosen from 8,250 applicants across all regions.

LinkedIn • UNESCO Profile

Boilerplates

100-word version

Emblem: Digital Souvenirs is a Luxembourg startup transforming travel memories into collectible digital art. Users collect unique artworks tied to real locations, verified by GPS. Each emblem is created by real artists and tells the cultural story of a place. Founded by Daniel Michels after the Universal Expo 2020 Dubai, Emblem reimagines traditional souvenirs for the digital age. In 2025, Michels was recognized as a UNESCO Youth for Peace leader. The company's flagship project, Luxembourg Passport 2026, will celebrate Luxembourg's cultural heritage through location-based digital artworks.

250-word version

Emblem: Digital Souvenirs is a Luxembourg-based startup on a mission to transform how people explore and remember places. Through its mobile app, available on iOS and Android, users collect unique digital artworks tied to real-world locations. Each "emblem" is GPS-verified, meaning you must physically visit a location to collect it – creating authentic, meaningful souvenirs that prove you were there.

The idea emerged from the Universal Expo 2020 in Dubai, where founder Daniel Michels observed a striking contrast: visitors rushing past cultural content while eagerly collecting stamps for their Expo Passport souvenirs (which sold over 1 million units). After speaking with a Chad-based artist who couldn't sell his paintings because they were too large to transport, Michels envisioned a new kind of souvenir – one that's artistic, accessible, educational, and truly memorable.

In August 2025, Michels was selected as one of 50 global leaders for UNESCO's inaugural Youth for Peace programme, recognizing Emblem's potential to use culture and creative expression for intercultural understanding. The company's flagship project, Luxembourg Passport 2026, will feature a curated collection of digital art emblems across Luxembourg's cultural sites, developed within the UNESCO framework.

Emblem brings souvenirs into the digital age – sustainable, portable, and shareable – while supporting artists and preserving cultural stories for future generations.