# Mapkin

Simple, shareable navigation

- Canonical URL: https://wefunder.com/mapkin
- Entity ID: wefunder:company:450
- Last updated: 2024-08-20T15:17:36Z
- Generated at: 2026-06-09T13:05:16Z

## Quick facts
- Founders have built apps used by 10s of millions
- Team has worked together for a combined 15 years
- Exciting space, huge potential impact
- Built a turn-by-turn nav app with very lean funding

## FAQ
1. **Are you going to have a way to mark parking areas? Going into the city based on the time/day .. there should be a way to mark the best areas or parking garages typically available. That can be a social feature -- based on a particular address and time/day you oughta be able to...**
   - Johan, Great suggestion. We are planning on making it easy to mark areas for parking when sharing maps with others. In the future, we could extend this to allow crowdsourced parking suggestions based on your route & the time/day, as you suggested. Thanks!
2. **Interesting project. What's your ETA on RTM for the iOS apps and what's the prognosis moving forward when the first release is out?**
   - Hi Tobias, thanks for the interest. We haven't set a firm date for the public launch. Our top priority is soft-launching to our invite only list of early testers. (sign up at http://mapkin.co) Once we have the feedback / traction data from our early users, we'll assess what needs to be done before launching version 1.0.
3. **When developing this app is it something that will be charge for or advertising based. If advertising based will you allow landmarks to advertise to the people in that area real time? ie. If a store who is an advertiser can they blast out a coupon code to those in a 5 mile rad...**
   - Brandon, we expect the app to be free. Using "sponsored" landmarks is one of the possible monetization ideas we're thinking about. When we do monetize, we will make sure that it's done in a way that does not compromise user experience.
4. **Hi there. Will this app be friendly for people with disabilities? When Mapkin checks for parking, will I be notified of handicapped spaces or have to try my luck? Or be told about laws like here in Seattle? Our city has no "set aside" parking for folks with disabilities. So in...**
   - Lincoln, interesting idea. We currently aren't planning on having the system know about specific parking rules or regulations, but this would be interesting information to crowdsource in the future.
5. **Do you have a biz plan you can share with Investors?**
   - Hi Ignacio. When we raise our next round of funding, we'll be able to share more information about our business plan with potential investors.

## Team
- Marc Regan (Co-Founder and CEO)
- Alex Kinney (founder)
- Jake Wasserman (founder)

## Q&A
- Q: The message is for Jake Wasserman. I'm interested in coming to the Maptime Meetup Group. Can someone bring a small dog to the meeting? I'm visiting from out of town. If not, that's OK, I just want to check ahead of time. abrody AT macmaps.com
- Q: Seems Very Cool. What Maps API are you using?
  - A: Actually, we're building our own maps. To create these, we use a mix of data sources and services.
- Q: how much to invest
  - A: Dele, we're not raising money at this moment, but when we can offer a deal to the public, the website will notify you.
- Q: Neat Product guys..What are some features that differ Mapkin from other social Map applications such as Waze?
  - A: Joe, Mapkin allows you to share directions and details with others in a way that no other mapping app does. We give you fine grained control over the actual route, the ability to add and customize landmarks along the route, and the ability to change what it says along the way. All of this utilizes a custom map that we've designed to be optimal for navigation while allowing those little personal details to come to life.
- Q: Hello Marc. I read your profile on your website and am wondering When did you first imagine the thought of Mapkin? As an unaccredited investor I look forward to the SEC finalizing the rules on crowdfunding. I really love your idea and will be sharing your company and thought with my network.
  - A: Thanks for the support Epifanio. We started working on Mapkin back in December a year ago. I was doing a bit of traveling around the US and realized how difficult it was for my friends to give me directions to places in their city. Sure, I had my phone, but it was easier for them to explain the best way to get there. After all, they knew the shortcuts, the places to park, the little tricks. I would have them draw maps on napkins (Mapkin - get it?) It seemed silly that the best way to give someone a detailed route is to draw a map. This was sort of the spark that inspired us to really question everything about the way navigation is done today. We're really excited by the potential.
- Q: When all of you start work on it?
- Q: I like the concept of your user friendly GPS. Will it be available in other languages along with English.
  - A: Epifanio, initially we're focusing our efforts on the English / US market, but we'll certainly be adding support for other languages as we roll things out. Another interesting thing to consider - since you can totally customize the spoken instructions along the route, you could make a map for someone with prompts in a different language.
- Q: Do you have a biz plan you can share with Investors?
  - A: Hi Ignacio. When we raise our next round of funding, we'll be able to share more information about our business plan with potential investors.
- Q: How does it work´s?
- Q: Hi there. Will this app be friendly for people with disabilities? When Mapkin checks for parking, will I be notified of handicapped spaces or have to try my luck? Or be told about laws like here in Seattle? Our city has no "set aside" parking for folks with disabilities. So in Seattle, people don't pay to park on the street anywhere if they have a permit.
  - A: Lincoln, interesting idea. We currently aren't planning on having the system know about specific parking rules or regulations, but this would be interesting information to crowdsource in the future.
- Q: When developing this app is it something that will be charge for or advertising based. If advertising based will you allow landmarks to advertise to the people in that area real time? ie. If a store who is an advertiser can they blast out a coupon code to those in a 5 mile radius to try to drive in business?
  - A: Brandon, we expect the app to be free. Using "sponsored" landmarks is one of the possible monetization ideas we're thinking about. When we do monetize, we will make sure that it's done in a way that does not compromise user experience.
- Q: Interesting project. What's your ETA on RTM for the iOS apps and what's the prognosis moving forward when the first release is out?
  - A: Hi Tobias, thanks for the interest. We haven't set a firm date for the public launch. Our top priority is soft-launching to our invite only list of early testers. (sign up at http://mapkin.co) Once we have the feedback / traction data from our early users, we'll assess what needs to be done before launching version 1.0.
- Q: Are you going to have a way to mark parking areas? Going into the city based on the time/day .. there should be a way to mark the best areas or parking garages typically available. That can be a social feature -- based on a particular address and time/day you oughta be able to recommend where to park using multiple. Whether they should even bother looking for a spot.
  - A: Johan, Great suggestion. We are planning on making it easy to mark areas for parking when sharing maps with others. In the future, we could extend this to allow crowdsourced parking suggestions based on your route & the time/day, as you suggested. Thanks!