Product: Crowdsourced Navigation Software Developer: Ehud Shabtai Company: Waze Mobile Start of Development: 2006
It all began because Ehud Shabtai, the founder of Waze, had a weak sense of direction. In an attempt to get around more easily, he would use the type of GPS system that was available at the time, but this solution was inadequate. He mulled over a few ideas that could improve his navigation experience and make it more efficient.
Working out of his home, Ehud embarked on a project to map Israel’s roads. In 2008, he joined forces with two other entrepreneurs, Amir Shinar and Uri Levine, to establish Waze as a community-based navigation app that taps into the wisdom of the crowd.
In 2009, just one year after its establishment, they decided to expand their activities overseas in an effort to spread the word about Waze. Their modus operandi remained the same: mapping areas using dedicated software, with the wisdom of the crowd enabling users to navigate the recommended route for their given timeframe while receiving real-time updates about traffic, road closures, speed cameras, etc.
In 2013, Waze was acquired by Google in what was a record setting app acquisition at that time. It is currently available in 180 countries using software that has been translated into about fifty languages for over 100 million users – the largest community of its kind in the world.
In 2016, Waze launched the Waze Carpool app pairing drivers with passengers in order to reduce the number of drivers on the roads and to battle traffic.
Thanks to Waze, drivers across the globe are able to avoid traffic on their way to their destination. By reducing travel time, the company contributes to saving gas, time and gas emissions.
