Ponooc invests in Bikemap: cycling maps & navigation Bikemap is the leading freemium app for creating, finding and sharing leisurely bicycle routes, as well as for navigating from A to B. The Viennese start-up was founded in 2014 by passionate cyclists to develop largest user-generated bike route collection in the world to date. Bikemap, whose app usage tripled in the year 2020, benefits from the boom in the cycling industry during the Corona crisis. Germany is the largest market in Europe for the company, with over one million shared bike routes. As this positive trend will continue in 2021, Bikemap has now raised capital again. With the investment in Bikemap, Ponooc supports the company’s goal of improving cycling through technology – developed by cyclists for cyclists. Bikemap will use the fresh capital for product development and scaling of the team. Bikemap’s global community has grown to more than five million users who have planned, ridden and shared over seven million routes in over 100 countries. The app, which is available for iOS and Android, offers map and navigation software for different types of bikes and levels of ambition, as well as numerous additional functions. These include personalized route recommendations and the indication of locations of e.g. bicycle repair shops or parking spaces. In the premium version, further exclusive features are available. In addition to the app, Bikemap is also available in a web version. Matthias Natmessnig, CEO of Bikemap, comments: “With Bikemap, cyclists around the world can find the most suitable route for their tour. Unlike more generally designed apps like Google Maps, our routes are specifically tailored to the needs of different types of cyclists. At the same time, all Bikemapers benefit from our strong community of over five million users who share new routes, recommendations – such as workshops or rest stops – or obstacles for more safety on a daily basis. In the long term, we want to use this mix to make cycling better and safer. With Ponooc, we have a partner at our side who not only understands this approach, but is also joining us on the path to a more sustainable future at the same time.” Max van Zoest, Investment Manager at Ponooc, adds about the funding : “The bicycle market has exploded and deserves specialized routing. Ponooc believes that Matthias, Tobias, Benedikt and their teams have the best vision in this space. Bikemap has the ability to offer safe, tailor-made routes to any cycling modality, while continuously improving its algorithms through human feedback. These capabilities, combined with a fast-growing Bikemap community that has shared over 7,5M leisurely routes, will encourage users worldwide to choose a bicycle for their next ride.” Ponooc is very excited to empower the Bikemap team in realizing an ever larger biking community.