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§ Private Profile · New York City, NY, USA
Social mapping application providing visually rich, personalized maps for travelers and professionals, focused on discovery.
Citymaps has raised $12.0M across 4 funding rounds.
Key people at Citymaps.
Citymaps has raised $12.0M in total across 4 funding rounds.
Based in New York City, Citymaps is a social mapping application that allows users to discover, save, and share personalized maps featuring various points of interest. The platform aggregates location data from external sources such as Yelp and Foursquare to display over 80 million places worldwide, serving travelers, real estate agents, and retail brands. Prior to its strategic exit, the company scaled its digital operations to support over 1 million active users and maintained a dedicated workforce of 16 employees. The enterprise successfully raised a total of $12 million in venture funding from institutional investors including Nokia Growth Partners, Coatue Management, and Acadia Woods. In August 2016, the mapping technology platform was officially acquired by the global travel research company TripAdvisor to enhance its core mobile application. Citymaps was founded in 2010 by Elliot Cohen and Aaron Rudenstine.
Key people at Citymaps.
Citymaps has raised $12.0M across 4 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $6.0M Series A in February 2015.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 1, 2015 | $6M Series A | — | Founder Collective, Harrison Metal, Lobby Capital, Mucker Capital, Nokia Growth Partners, Uncork Capital | Announced |
| Aug 1, 2013 | $1.5M Series A Plus | — | Steve Papa, Ashton Kutcher | Announced |
| Jul 1, 2013 | $2M Series U | — | SciFi VC, Sound Ventures | Announced |
| Mar 19, 2012 | $2.5M Series A | — | Dave Levin, Dave Leyrer | Announced |
Citymaps was a New York-based startup that built a proprietary social mapping platform enabling users to create, share, and explore personalized maps of favorite places reflecting their life and preferences.[1][2][3] It served travelers, business professionals like real estate agents, and general users seeking curated points of interest (POIs) such as museums, shops, and restaurants, solving the problem of rigid standard maps (e.g., Google or Apple) by highlighting recognizable logos directly on the interface for intuitive navigation.[2][4] The app addressed gaps in traditional tools with features like offline maps, CityGuides (curated downloadable maps from partners like BuzzFeed and Travel + Leisure), and social sharing, available on iOS, Android, web, and desktop.[2] Backed by $12 million in venture funding, it gained traction before being acquired by TripAdvisor in 2016 to enhance mobile mapping for its users.[2][6]
Citymaps was co-founded in 2010 by Elliot Cohen and Aaron Rudenstine.[2] It launched as a web-based business tool aggregating data from third-party sources like social networks.[2][5] The idea evolved into a fully functional mobile app for travelers, pivoting to emphasize social mapping and POIs after initial business focus.[2] Early traction came from relaunching its iPhone app for mobile advertisers and carving a niche despite giants like Google Maps.[2][5] A pivotal moment was the 2016 acquisition by TripAdvisor, which integrated its team to improve user-centric mapping on mobile devices.[2]
Citymaps rode the early 2010s mobile mapping and social discovery trend, emerging when smartphones popularized travel apps but standard tools lacked personalization and offline POI focus.[2] Timing mattered amid rising mobile web use and demand for curated experiences, as users shifted from street-name navigation to visual, interest-based exploration—foreshadowing modern apps like Instagram location shares.[2][4] Market forces like venture funding ($12M) and advertiser interest favored it, influencing the ecosystem by inspiring acquisitions; TripAdvisor's buyout integrated its tech to compete with Google/Apple on mobile, enhancing travel platforms' social mapping.[2][6] It highlighted niche innovation's role in pushing incumbents toward user-preference-driven features.
Post-2016 acquisition, Citymaps operates as Citymaps, A TripAdvisor Company, with its tech folded into TripAdvisor's ecosystem using tools like Optimizely for optimization—likely powering enhanced mobile maps today.[6] Next steps involve deeper integration into TripAdvisor's brands amid AI-driven personalization and AR navigation trends. Evolving travel tech (e.g., post-pandemic experiential mapping) could amplify its legacy, shaping how platforms blend social curation with real-time data. This acquisition underscores how startups like Citymaps accelerate ecosystem progress by filling gaps big players later adopt.[2]
Citymaps has raised $12.0M in total across 4 funding rounds.
Citymaps's investors include Founder Collective, Harrison Metal, Lobby Capital, Mucker Capital, Nokia Growth Partners, Uncork Capital, Steve Papa, Ashton Kutcher, SciFi VC, Sound Ventures, Dave Levin, Dave Leyrer.
