Turning an AI mapping concept into a credible product and company

Mapka is an AI-native mapping startup built to make map creation more accessible. I joined in September 2025, when the company was still at proof-of-concept stage, to help turn an ambitious technical idea into something more coherent: a clearer product, a stronger brand, and a more credible investor story.

I initially came in as a design advisor while on parental leave, but my role quickly expanded. I led the brand and visual identity, helped define the company’s personality and messaging, set the product direction for the MVP, shaped the main editing experience, directed supporting designers, and helped build the pitch deck and fundraising narrative. That work eventually led to my transition into co-founder and CPO.

Defining the company

Mapka already had technical promise, but it did not yet feel like a fully formed company. The product needed a clearer interaction model, the brand needed to carry the scale of the ambition, and the investor story needed to make the opportunity legible quickly.

I worked closely with the founder to help define what the business was, who it was for, and how it should be positioned. I also led key parts of the messaging and copywriting, including the headline “Build maps with prompts, not PhDs.” That became central to how we explained the product.

Shaping the MVP

Alongside the technical founder, I led the design direction of the MVP. That included setting the visual language, defining the structure of the main map editing view, and directing other part-time designers so the product developed as a more coherent whole.

A key decision was adopting a bolder, neo-brutalist visual direction. This helped Mapka stand apart from the safer visual language of incumbent GIS tools, while also giving the team a system that could move quickly without collapsing into inconsistency.

I also contributed to part of the prompt engineering behind one of the product’s core selling points: the ability to generate branded maps. Working with the technical founder, I helped shape the meta prompt used to interpret a brand and apply that logic to the map styling experience.

Building credibility for fundraising

I led the brand and rebrand work, building the identity system that ran across the product, website, and investor materials. At the same time, I took a leading role in writing and shaping the pitch deck, strategic framing, and funding materials.

This was one of the most important parts of the work: helping turn an interesting technical product into a company investors could understand and take seriously.

Outcome

The MVP launched, and the company entered investor-facing moments such as Web Summit and Slush with a far stronger level of coherence than it had at the outset. The brand and product presentation helped create attention before the pitch had properly begun, and the work I started as an advisor grew into a broader role as co-founder and CPO.

For me, Mapka is a case study in early-stage definition: helping shape a technical concept into a product, company, and story people can believe in.