Even though the scramble for Citymapper shares recently went through the roof, many investors were put off by the lack of financial strategy for the future. At some point it will need to find a viable business model that is sustainable and scalable.

In May 2021, a new crowdfunding campaign on Crowdcube exceeded its initial target of £1m within hours, closing the campaign after just one day and taking in £6.7m from 9,000 retail investors – the fastest fundraising in Crowdcube’s history.ĭespite its popularity, however, the company loses money, and its route to profitability is not yet obvious. Since it was founded in 2011 by former Google employee Azmat Yusuf, the company has raised £45m funding from venture capitalists (VCs). For urban navigation, it offers a great alternative to services from the big players such as Google Maps or Apple maps. The app is free to 50 million users across 80 cities around the world. It offers different routes to get people seamlessly from A to B, and even offers rain-proof options which minimise walking for those grey days in London. The app integrates data for different modes of transport including underground, buses, taxis, walking and cycling. But the minds behind Citymapper need to focus on the long-term strategy to continue to navigate their own future. Citymapper, an app almost ubiquitous in cities like London, is built with a simple and functional interface to make it the “ultimate” app for mobility.

There is immense value in being able to navigate around major cities on the go, avoiding the stress of checking multiple forms of transportation on varying platforms, especially as we start exploring again post-lockdown.

Citymapper vs google maps