komoot

Komoot's journey began in 2010, born from the shared passion of six friends from Germany and Austria for the great outdoors. [4, 7, 24, 27, 30] With backgrounds in technology and science, and a mutual love for adventure, Markus Hallermann, Jonas Spengler, Tobias Hallermann, Christoph Lingg, Daniel Gard, and Jan Heuer embarked on a mission: to make outdoor experiences more accessible to everyone. [4, 30] What started as an idea among friends, possibly in their student rooms, blossomed into Europe's leading outdoor platform. [1, 10] The name 'komoot' itself is derived from a Walser dialect, meaning 'simple and practical,' reflecting the company's core philosophy of making nature easily enjoyable for all.

Initially, the small team even cooked lunches together, fostering a close-knit environment from the very beginning. As the company grew, so did its vision. Recognizing the desire for flexibility and the love for the outdoors among its team members, Komoot embraced a remote-first operational structure. [21, 25] This allowed employees to work from wherever they felt most inspired, be it the mountains, the beach, or their home office, spanning across various European countries. [9, 13, 20, 22, 25, 26] This distributed model not only attracted diverse international talent but also positioned Komoot for expansion into new markets. [9, 25] The platform, built upon the open-source database OpenStreetMap (OSM), continuously evolved, with a dedicated team constantly developing its map material and information display. By 2025, Komoot had grown to serve over 45 million users worldwide, offering advanced route planning and navigation tools alongside a rich feed of user-generated stories and adventures. [1, 10, 18, 24, 27] In March 2025, Komoot was acquired by Bending Spoons, a technology company, with the aim of scaling the platform to new heights and continuing its mission to inspire millions to explore the outdoors. [1, 10, 12, 16, 17, 18]