Meet Venture Leader Petr Pridal's Maps Delivering Startup
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Ten Venture Leaders will represent Switzerland in Silicon Valley in March. Meet Petr Pridal, co-founder of Maptiler. Learn more about softwares and online services for turning data into maps and Petr's expectations on his roadshow in Silicon Valley.
Can you introduce yourself and the birth and the “why” of your project briefly?My name is Petr Pridal. I am a challenge seeker, an entrepreneur and a proud father of two boys.
With the MapTiler.com team, counting 15 people now, we work on detailed street and satellite maps of the entire world, and develop software and online services for turning data into maps.
If you buy a train ticket in Switzerland, check the online weather forecast in Germany, or watch the visualizations from NASA or infotainment system in an airplane, there is a chance you have seen our maps.
We make maps for companies. The maps can be adjusted in colors to communicate the brand, perfectly integrated, they can display only relevant information, with no advertisements, secure and protect the privacy of end users. Thanks to our technology, the data of the entire planet can fit on a single USB stick and can be redistributed and displayed with software components we deliver.
What attracted you to Silicon Valley as a business development destination?
More than 60 percent of our existing customers are from the USA already. We have a great chance to grow if we are more locally present and further adjust our products and business for the U.S. market. The Bay Area is also known for technological innovation and opens many opportunities for partnerships.
What do you hope to achieve from the trip? What are your expectations and goals?
The increase of awareness and new personal contacts is my number one goal. We want to make our product more well known by the local entrepreneur circles and most-influential investors and decision makers. We hope to find new partnerships, establish useful contacts for fundraising and get new feedback and experience which could help us to shape the future of our business.
Why is Venture Leaders Technology beneficial for your startup?
I really welcome this support programme targeting young Swiss companies. It is a great platform for connecting people and business ideas internationally. Venturelab has helped to boost entrepreneurship in the region and encouraged the personal and business growth of many leaders of the local companies already. I am proud to be part of it.
What is pushing you towards international expansion?
Our business is international since day one. We focus on the global market with global map data and sell our products with a credit card to customers from the entire world. Still, understanding and optimizing for individual local markets and individual groups of customers is a key to success and growth.
What do you foresee as the largest hurdles towards expansion into the U.S. market?
Finding the right local partners is alpha and omega of success. The cooperation must be mutually beneficial, with clear responsibilities and well defined rules of the game. It is not easy to find people who are motivated, knowledgeable and reliable, with the right contacts and entrepreneur spirit.
What makes you most nervous or excited about the trip?
I am looking forward to enjoying the roadshow. The public Swiss Startup Night at swissnex is going to be an exciting event. I am very much looking forward to the pitching training - and later on, of course, to the face to face feedback from investors.
Do you have a “funny/best day” anecdote about being an entrepreneur?
There is a story for the name of the legal entity behind MapTiler.com - the Klokan Technologies GmbH. The word 'klokan' means in Czech, my mother tongue, 'kangaroo'. It is my nickname from the boy scouts, from jumping and indirectly also from not respecting authorities. This goes with me through life - and it made it also to the company name.
Read about the Startup Champions kick-off event and follow the trip on Twitter using the hashtag #VLeadersTech
Venture Leaders Technology is sponsored by Rothschild & Co Bank, Kellerhals Carrard, DPD, Swisscom, Canton de Vaud, ETH Zürich and EPF Lausanne.
MapTiler AG: Maps for your apps
MapTiler provides street and satellite maps to businesses that need cartography integrated with their websites, mobile apps, and other products. It is an alternative to Google Maps API, used by NASA,... Read more