Waymap, a London-based app providing accessible navigation tools to disabled users, has raised £7m in a funding round led by a North American telecoms firm.
Founded in 2017, Waymap is a navigation app targeting people with additional accessibility requirements, with a focus on the visually impaired.
The startup was created by Dr Tom Pey, who is himself blind. Pey was inspired to found Waymap after the Royal Society for Blind Children’s Youth Forum requested a solution for navigating the London Underground.
Existing navigation tools have become essential in modern cities but they frequently fail to provide navigation support indoors and underground.
Waymap aims to solve this by using its algorithm, called SmartStep, to provide indoor and underground step-by-step navigation, instead of GPS or internet-connected navigation.
SmartStep uses existing motion sensors on smartphones and detects user steps.
Though primarily designed to serve the needs of blind people, Waymap says its technology can be beneficial to any user.
“Any solution that supported the seamless navigation for blind people would need to be something that everyone needed,” Pey said.
Now backed by new funding, Waymap aims to grow internationally, targeting Asia Pacific and the Middle East alongside its existing presence in Europe and North America.
The funding round was led by North American telecoms firm TELUS’ Pollinator Fund for Good and featured participation from Venrex and Comprador Holdings.
Blair Miller, managing partner of the TELUS Pollinator Fund, said its investment in Waymap “underscores the strength and growth potential of the purpose-driven startup’s product and its strong leadership that work tirelessly to help visually impaired people safely navigate their daily life”.
Miller added: “By investing in Waymap, we can help them in their mission to foster greater accessibility, independent mobility and more efficient travel for everyone.”