Social mapping platform Atly launches with $18m funding

Atly, a user-generated social mapping platform, has announced its official launch, backed by $18m (£14.5m) in funding from Target GlobalTal Ventures, and FKA Brands. In its open beta to date, Atly said it has seen thousands of user-created community-based maps, with hundreds of new maps generated organically each month across verticals like food and restaurants, travel, nature and the outdoors, parenting, and more.

Atly leverages social media-like user-generated knowledge with mapping and location discovery tools to help people find their new favourite places. In the Atly app, users create and join map-based communities centred around the things they love. Atly creates a go-to source for previously unmapped content and surfaces gems of information from like-minded people that allow users to trust in the authenticity, integrity, and specificity of every recommendation they uncover. In doing so, Atly gives people intent on discovery the confidence that they’re sure to enjoy the places they visit. Atly said the funding will allow it to invest in and develop its platform.

“From Blogger to YouTube to Instagram and TikTok, people seek both community and information online, and they’re often finding that intersection on social media,” said Uriel Maslansky, CEO and Co-founder of Atly. “But there is a gaping hole when it comes to location-based information, which is where Atly comes in. We have combined everyone’s favorite ingredients – the timeliness and authenticity of user-generated content created by a like-minded, trusted source, the utility and ease of visual mapping, effective tools for hyper-specific discovery, and the thrill of engaging, perfectly on-point content – to allow anyone with an interest, need, or passion to easily unearth their next favourite place to go or thing to do.”