Innovative British startup Fatmap, which has won Login Startup Fair competition for its 3D ski maps, is setting up in Vilnius soon. Fatmap plans to recruit ten highly qualified programmers and 3D technology professionals over the next year and a half in the Lithuanian capital.
The Fatmap mobile application was officially launched in January and soon caught the attention of mountain-sports enthusiasts. Currently the application has over 120,000 users throughout the world. Fatmap develops 3D HD mountain terrain and skiing route maps which are now replacing the print maps that have dominated the market to date.
The company, which is based in London, has 15 permanent employees plus a mapping unit in Bristol. It also cooperates with specialists from France, Germany and the USA. Paulius Liekis, the company’s 3D technology manager, says that the company has already begun fitting out its offices in Vilnius in preparation for the full establishment of its Lithuanian branch in a few months’ time.
“At present, we have four specialists in Lithuania, but we are looking for programmers to join our team. Over the next year and a half we hope to expand up to ten employees in Vilnius. We are setting up our operations in Lithuania primarily because of the quality of services on offer here. Of course, in the long term the price factor is also important, but as far as our technology is concerned it is not possible to replace one good employee with five average ones”, explained Mr Liekis.
This summer, the company is expanding its range of mapping services, issuing versions of its application for summer sports like climbing, cycling and hiking. In terms of future projects, the Fatmap team also aim to create an application which will become a widely used solution for developing HD maps in real time. Such a tool could be used, for example, in the event of a natural disaster. Next week, the director general of the company will make a presentation at a conference of the United Nations Disaster Relief Fund in which he will outline how Fatmap’s technologies could help in areas affected by a range of natural disasters.
