My Story

The idea for CycleMap was created by partner Olivier Carbonneau over two years ago when he decided something needed to be done in the cycling world to help cyclists find bike lanes more easily. In response, he developed an initial version of an iPhone app in his basement. When former colleague David Boudreault heard about Olivier’s idea, he instantly joined as partner with the aim of improving the product for sale.

“Our goal,” said David, “is to become the leading cycling reference on mobile devices. Our biggest challenge is to be recognized on the international level. In 2014, having a great mobile app is not enough. There are over one million apps in the AppStore, so you need creativity to stand out – it is not only difficult to produce an app people need, but to find a way to get people to download ours.”

To improve the app, the team conducted hundreds of interviews with active cyclists to better understand what they wanted and where there were gaps in the market. Part of what they learned is that users wanted to learn and engage in real-time. In response, the CycleMap app now allows users to recommend lesser known paths, to comment on changes to routes, and to provide feedback.

To date, CycleMap has been downloaded 40,000 times in over 75 countries.