Ariadne Maps

Ariadne Maps provides a privacy-first analytics platform for physical spaces, serving clients in retail, transportation, hospitality, and commercial real-estate. The company's technology anonymously tracks visitor and customer movements by capturing signals from smartphones—such as Wi-Fi, GSM, and Bluetooth—without requiring an app or network connection. This allows businesses to access real-time data on foot traffic, dwell times, heatmaps, and visitor trajectories to optimize store layouts, staffing, and customer experience.

Founded in Munich in 2019 by CEO Georgios Pipelidis and CTO Nikos Tsiamitros, Ariadne Maps originated from their postgraduate research on precision location technologies at the Technical University of Munich. Their work was recognized for outperforming technologies from major companies like IBM, Cisco, and Google. The name 'Ariadne' is inspired by the Greek mythological figure who used a thread to navigate a labyrinth, reflecting the company's mission to guide businesses through the complexities of physical space analytics. Pipelidis holds a PhD in Artificial Intelligence from the Technical University of Munich, and his academic background in pervasive computing and software development has been central to the company's innovation.

The company operates on a B2B model, offering its platform through a subscription or service fee. Its plug-and-play solution is designed for easy installation and is certified to be fully compliant with GDPR, ensuring user privacy by anonymizing all captured data. Ariadne has secured significant funding, including a €2 million seed round in October 2021 and a $7 million Series A round in May 2023, both led by Marathon Venture Capital. The company has a global presence, with notable clients including Glasgow and Singapore airports, Deutsche Bahn, IKEA, and Starbucks.

Keywords: crowd analytics, people counting, indoor localization, visitor analytics, foot traffic analysis, customer journey mapping, retail analytics, spatial analytics, real estate technology, GDPR-compliant tracking, smart airport, smart retail, passenger flow, location intelligence, heatmaps, queue management, business intelligence, physical space optimization, commercial real estate, asset optimization