Citymaps

Mapping one city at a time

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is a mobile map built from scratch to provide a personalized social mapping experience on the go. The company has an impressive list of angel investors and was able to raise over $5 million in outside funding since its launch in 2010.

We sat down with Lindsay Kaplan, the company’s Marketing Director to talk about this exciting new vector-based social map app, new features, and what’s ahead for Citymaps.

There are many smartphone apps that help you find the best restaurants, shops or hotels, what differs Citymaps from other apps in the market?

We are the first map platform with local discovery in its DNA. With Citymaps, you can easily create maps of your favorite places and share them with friends. Or, you can follow maps from your friends, favorite brands, and publishers. Citymaps has a library of maps to explore, just like the way you can browse a library of music playlists.

Next time your friends come to visit your city, it's easy to make a map of the best
restaurants and share it with them. Or, you can make your own maps of places to
go shopping, or bars you want to try. No more spreadsheets, emails to yourself,
or lists of links.

Can you convince the reader to start using Citymaps in under 50 words?

Citymaps is a new social map that lets you create and share maps of your favorite places. Make maps yourself, or make them with friends. Explore all kinds of maps by
people who know the area best — friends, locals, and publishers. Easily send
texts and emails of maps, or share on social.

What's next for Citymaps-are they any new functions/features in the pipeline that will enhance the user's experience?

We’re rolling out a feature that lets you toggle between classic top-down and immersive
tilt views of the map. This fall, the app will be available on Android.

Has Citymaps got the feedback and growth you expected since its
launch?

The response and growth have been spectacular — we’re gaining more users every day,
speaking with new publishers who are excited to create maps, and received
accolades from everyone from the tech world (including TechCrunch and Gizmodo)
to lifestyle (Refinery29, Parade).

What's the biggest milestone Citymaps had to overcome as a company?

We built our own mapping platform from scratch, ensuring that social was part of
its DNA.

Can you describe the team behind Citymaps in a few sentences?

We're a small team with a huge vision. We're smart, agile, fast, and dedicated to
building something new and useful.

If you start charging businesses to be featured on the map how would you encourage them to sign up?

The old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words is central to Citymaps.

Every restaurant, hotel and store on Citymaps is represented by its logo, making it
simple to search and pinpoint places. As consumers, we associate logos with
places, so the use of a business’s logo makes it easier to browse the map and
locate the place you’re looking for. In turn, brands benefit because their
presence on Citymaps is represented with their brand logo.

In addition, each business page features a stream of real-time Instagram photos,
menus, turn-by-turn direction and user comments. When consumers find a place they want to go to, they can quickly add it to a map and share it with friends.

When you are ready to expand across the globe, what city do you plan on mapping next?

We’re rapidly expanding across the globe — expect to see an international Citymaps
soon.

Lastly, what is the coolest feature of Citymaps in your opinion?

The more you create maps, search for places, and engage with Citymaps, the more the
map will be shaped to fit your preferences. A vegetarian won't want to see steakhouses on their map, and a barfly will see more happy hour spots. We believe no two people should see the same map.

About the Author

Irina Georgieva - Irina currently works as a Chief Editor for GeekyCorner after having previously worked over 10 years in IT and Marketing across a number of industries, including mortgage, electronics, and software. She enjoys spending time with her family and is an avid fan of salsa.

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