Proxi, a platform for users to make and share custom maps, just raised $1.2m to build a mobile app and new features. But it all started with trick-or-treating.
Co-founders Melinda Haughey and Chelsey Roney are 2 Seattle moms and self-described “business nerds” who met at Texas A&M a decade ago.
Roney’s background is in marketing and startups, while Haughey is a former US intelligence analyst with a background in spatial mapping.
During Halloween 2020…
… Haughey saw families on social media building candy chutes and other covid-safe trick-or-treating solutions.
“So, I cobbled together some tools and made a map where people would add their own homes,” she told The Hustle.
The map grew to 2.3k Seattle-area homes and racked up 500k views. People started asking Haughey to build other maps, so she and Roney decided to build Proxi, officially launching in the fall of 2021.
Proxi is built with simplicity in mind…
… and has several customization options, like swapping logos or colors and adding map categories and icons. Some use cases include:
- Seattle station King 5 mapping its Best of Western Washington winners
- Seattle-based travel bloggers Traveling While Black, who help Black visitors to the Pacific Northwest, making a local guide
- Influencer Rachel Vigil crowdsourcing an El Paso guide
While Proxi is free to use, the company’s business model will eventually include partnering with creators and businesses on advertising and affiliate linking, as well as premium content.
They’re also building an analytics dashboard so creators can gauge the popularity of their maps. The new mobile app will allow users to layer maps and create a specific itinerary.
Fun fact: Years ago, Haughey and Roney started a QR-based payments company, but weren’t ready to work on it full time. Seeing the success of apps like Venmo, they vowed to go full steam ahead on their next good idea.
