MappedIn, makers of an interactive indoor navigation system available as a mobile app or touchscreen kiosk, launched from the University of 
Waterloo’s Velocity program today.
Like Vidyard and Thalmic Labs before them, MappedIn is the latest company to launch from the University’s startup incubator workspace and set up offices just steps away from the Velocity Garage in downtown Kitchener.
"MappedIn has come a long way in the time they have been with Velocity," said Mike Kirkup, director of Velocity. “In just over three years with us they formed a company and grew to 13 employees with hundreds of thousands in investment funding and several big-name customers. They’re a great example for other startups to aspire to.”
MappedIn has already secured the business of more than a quarter of the major shopping malls in Canada and major Canadian retailers like SportChek, the Sheraton Hotel in Toronto, and Casino Rama.
"Maps and navigation are a central part of modern life. Just look at everyone's reliance on Google Maps. We're doing it for the indoors," said Hongwei Liu, CEO of MappedIn. "We're building an indoor mapping platform that could service thousands of directories and millions of devices across different countries and continents. It's going to be huge.”
MappedIn's life as a startup began at the Velocity Residence. The company’s founders – Liu, Mitchell Butler, and Leander Lee – didn’t know one another when they moved in to Residence in the summer of 2010. In the first week, Liu pitched a concept for indoor navigation. Over the weekend, Butler and Lee came up with a design and rudimentary web interface, while Liu built the first map editor. At the start of the second week, the trio demoed their creation to other Velocity residents and named the company MappedIn.
Just a year later, the company secured the interest of their first customer and delivered their first kiosk in November 2011 – only three months after their initial demo on a basic touchscreen device.
That same month, Liu pitched MappedIn at the Velocity Fund Finals and won a $25,000 grant allowing them to work on the company full-time from the Velocity workspace.
"We spent the next year just really figuring it out. Like most startups, we were pretty naïve about what would be involved. The complexity of what we've built today compared to what we thought we needed originally is mind boggling," said Liu. "We’re grateful for the support Velocity gave us. They really understand how to coach startups."
MappedIn have set up new offices at 305 King Street in Kitchener.
