Category: News

Magic Lane Secures €3 Million Investment from No Such Ventures to transform the Location Intelligence industry

Amsterdam, Netherlands, and Brasov, Romania – May 13, 2024

The revamped mapping and location platform, Magic Lane, that enables navigation for micro-mobility, specialized vehicles, apps and platforms, has successfully concluded an investment round of €3 million. “With this investment, we can truly accelerate our efforts to transform the location industry,” explains Raymond Alves of Magic Lane. “With our solutions, we address the evolving needs of the IoT and micro-mobility markets.”

The founders of Magic Lane were instrumental in pioneering the mapping, location, and navigation industry with the global rollout of Route66, the first-ever route planner, and are determined to once again transform the location intelligence industry.

Magic Lane is rapidly gaining market share with its Software Development Kits (SDKs), allowing companies to easily embed mapping, location, and navigation functionalities themselves into vehicles, apps, and online platforms in virtually any common programming language.

Purpose of the Investment
Since its launch in November 2022, Magic Lane has successfully expanded its presence in both Europe and Asia, attracting several prominent clients and partners. According to Raymond Alves, CEO of Magic Lane: “The investment will be used to expand our commercial operations, strengthen marketing initiatives, and deepen partnerships that further develop Magic Lane’s presence in new markets. Moreover, this investment enables us to enhance safety, accessibility, and efficiency in urban environments, starting in the micro-mobility market.” “For IoT and specifically ‘connected mobility,’ to reach its full potential, smarter, lighter, and faster mapping and navigation solutions are needed than that are currently the norm. We are pleased to help Magic Lane in meeting that demand with this investment,” adds Thijn van Helvoirt of No Such Ventures.

From Route Planner to Technological One-Stop-Shop
Magic Lane’s solutions are known for functioning on minimal hardware, ensuring that the location data of its end-users are not traced and that navigation and routing also work offline. This makes the technology ideal for electric bikes, scooters, and other embedded applications, as well as providing solutions for companies with large fleets of vehicles – from logistics carriers to fleet management, ride-hailing, and sharing platforms. Magic Lane is now starting to successfully compete with major players such as Google, TomTom, Here Technologies, and Mapbox.

Micro Mobility Europe
On June 5 and 6, Magic Lane will be present at Micro Mobility Europe in Amsterdam. Here, they will demonstrate innovative solutions and present products showcasing that they are the “one-stop-shop” in the micro-mobility market. Additionally, multiple collaborations will be announced during the event.

About Magic Lane and No Such Ventures (NSV)
No Such Ventures (NSV) is an investment firm focusing on innovative companies, while Magic Lane is a leading provider of mapping, location, and navigation technology and location platforms, with a focus on (electric) micro-mobility and specialized vehicles.

Contact Information:

Email: hello@magiclane.com
Website: www.magiclane.com

Magic Lane unveils new Android version of its Magic Earth navigation app

Amsterdam and Brașov, May 2nd

Magic Lane, a leading provider of innovative Maps, Location & Navigation solutions, has unveiled a new Android version of its Magic Earth navigation app, which includes Android Auto functionality. The app aims to offer users unparalleled privacy, performance, and convenience, and revolutionize the market for privacy-friendly and excellent offline navigation capabilities.

Magic Earth is unique among navigation apps as it does not track or store users’ location information, ensuring their privacy and security while navigating. It also offers exceptional offline capabilities, enabling users to navigate without an internet connection. The app has an extensive library of offline maps that are regularly updated, ensuring that users always have access to the latest maps and directions.

The new Android version of Magic Earth also supports Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) functionality, including lane departure, forward and pedestrian collision warnings, traffic sign recognition, and stop/go assist. This makes it an ideal choice for drivers who do not have these onboard functionalities in their cars or trucks, including driver behavior feedback.

Furthermore, the app now comes equipped with specific truck functionality that includes the ability to enter truck-specific dimensions, including width, height, length, weight, and axle weight, ensuring that the app can identify the most suitable and safe route for the specific truck. This feature adds an extra layer of safety for truck drivers on the road.

Magic Earth is lightweight and runs smoothly on minimal hardware requirements, making it accessible to users who have older devices or limited storage space. Additionally, it is easy to integrate into Android hardware, making it accessible for developers and users alike. Its seamless integration adds a level of convenience for the user.

While the core of Magic Lane is to provide an end-to-end development platform for developers, enabling them to create their own Map, Location & Navigation solutions, especially in the micro-mobility and emergency vehicle industry, Magic Earth plays an important role in the development and implementation of next-generation functionality in their SDKs.

“We are thrilled to launch the new Android version of Magic Earth,” said Raymond Alves, CEO of Magic Lane. “The app was specifically designed to provide users with the best navigation experience, particularly when offline, with a strong emphasis on privacy, performance, and convenience. This launch showcases the effectiveness of our decision to redevelop the platform and code base, as it has allowed us to swiftly implement new functionalities, including the ones that are being launched today.”

According to Tim Urlings, Product Manager of Magic Lane, “With this launch, we are not only able to showcase and test new and improved functionalities such as (e-bike) range calculations, special vehicle routing, supported GPX uploads, and predefined map styles, but we are also able to retrieve valuable user feedback. This improves the roadmap of our core platform and enables us to provide the best development toolkits for use cases related to e-bikes, emergency response vehicles, robotics, or drones.”

Magic Earth Android is available for free download on the Google Play Store. For more information about Magic Earth and its features, please visit the Magic Lane website.

iOS version will be launched end of June this year.

Contact Information:

Email: hello@magiclane.com
Website: www.magiclane.com

Magic Lane launches a branded concept Companion App to boost innovation in the micro mobility and (e-)bike industry.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands – March 23, 2023

It is no secret that the micro mobility and E-bike industry is a fast-growing market where legacy and lots of new players are shaping the future of mobility. To drive innovation, you need to be highly adaptable and agile to cope with the innovation cycle that is required to play a dominant role in this industry. It is essential to enable fast go to market, incremental value releases and user centric propositions that improve the way we all move around the world. Magic Lane understands technology like no one else and launched a branded concept Companion app to boost the innovation in the micro mobility and (e-)bike industry.

Companion app
Enable the ultimate digital rider experience with a one stop solution for e-bike and micro mobility manufacturers, drive systems and solution providers.

The Magic Lane Companion app is designed to unlock the full potential of your e-scooter or e-bike, and everything related to the experience of the riders. From navigating turn by turn through the city, the mountains or anywhere to optimizing the routing for every use case imaginable. Think about planning the safest route, the cleanest route, the heaviest or the healthiest route and even analytics-based custom ‘user profile route’.

White-Labeled
Enjoy a fully customizable application for your brand even on user profile or individual rider level without any development impact with our no-code Magic Studio tool.

Plug and play
Get started in days, not months or quarters. We have developed a highly scalable end-to-end application that only needs your look and feel to get going. We provide the technology; you enable your riders with a seamless digital end user experience that makes their rider life smooth and easy.

Future proof
As you would expect from us, we go the extra mile and offer a rich set of features that make a difference for your riders. We integrate where needed and innovate where possible. From integrated range calculations, profile-based route calculations to safety and security features, it is all there!

Own your brand experience
You own the rider data, the experience, the relationship and decide on rider engagement without any third-party reliance. You oversee up and cross sell opportunities and fulfil the needs of your riders in no time.

Technology
Building high quality, personalized algorithms and deep tech software is in our DNA. We understand the technology needs to be easy to implement, excellent offline capabilities and highly scalable to stimulate innovation in these fast-moving new industries.

Get in touch
Interested in knowing more? Reach out for a demo straight away. Any specific project requirements? Let’s discuss. Our highly skilled and experienced in-house Map, Location & Navigation software engineers are ready for a challenge.

New name, new branding, new focus… same product

Magic Lane, an intelligent Maps, Location & Navigation platform for developers in cycling and micromobility

Today we present our new brand name Magic Lane to the European public at Tomorrow.Mobility Congress in Barcelona, where we will show our smartest, most compact and most privacy-friendly Maps, Location & Navigation platform, including Software Development Kits (SDKs). By combining multiple qualitative map and data sources with smart algorithms, Magic Lane enables companies with specific needs, such as those in the cycling and micromobility market, to quickly and efficiently build personalized services for their own customers.

A deliberate focus on the micromobility and cycling markets
There’s a reason why we are focusing on companies in the cycling and micromobility markets. They deliver means of transport and solutions that require a different approach than the average car. For example, planning the best route changes significantly if you combine the cyclist’s weight with information about the landscape and the amount of energy available in the bicycle’s battery. Besides that, Magic Lane’s code and architecture are so clean, simple and compact that the software platform requires very little processor, energy and storage capacity. This makes it easy to apply as an embedded solution across a very wide range of devices and transport modes. A complete solution even works on low-cost platforms like a Raspberry Pi zero.

An open platform with 2,000 data sources
With an experienced team of 40 developers we built an open Maps, Location & Navigation platform, providing clients with a choice of different SDKs to create, compact and customized route and navigation solutions. The services can also be used offline. The platform uses Open Street Maps and approximately 2,000 other high-quality open source map and live data sources. It has been designed for easy integration with today’s growing stream of vehicle and driver data – covering everything from traffic, weather and air quality to personal vehicle status, fitness and physical performance.

Privacy is top priority

Another area in which we explicitly aim to stand out from other providers of Maps, Location & Navigation solutions is our respect for privacy. The software complies with European GDPR legislation and is operated from data centers in Europe. Privacy is very important to us, it means that the person using an end solution built on the Magic Lane platform is and will always remain anonymous; we do not store or transfer the generated data.

Our Software Development Kits shorten time to market
In the fast-growing cycling and micromobility markets, our smart algorithms enable companies to quickly meet the growing and increasingly complex demands of end users. Not only race, city, gravel or mountain (e)bikers also for delivery and courier services that use bicycles, electric delivery vehicles and e-scooters. To further shorten the time to market, we offer various software development kits (SDK). These allow developers to use their own front-end and map styles to quickly and easily create a personalized solution per operating system, be it iOS, Android, JavaScript, QT, Linux, Flutter or C++.

Origins with Route 66 – and 30 years of experience
For those who did not know yet, the team behind Magic Lane stems from the very first route planner, formerly known as Route 66, which ran on the Mac and PC in the 1990s. Route 66 was also the first to release navigation solutions for Nokia, Samsung and HTC mobile phones. With over 30 years of experience in the Maps, Location & Navigation industry, the founders decided a few years ago to rebuild the entire software from scratch. The aim was to do this without compromise and with privacy and three other basic principles in mind: the platform must operate on minimal hardware, be fully functional offline, and be easy to integrate. The development project was carried out under the name General Magic, with the navigation app Magic Earth as a testing ground for Android and iOS. From now on, you will meet us as Magic Lane. Magic Earth will stay as our testing ground.

An experienced newcomer and challenger
The new name, Magic Lane, was chosen as a way of leaving all connotations with the past behind us. The name is also a nod to the driving force behind the company, founder and CTO Johan Lanen. This December, Johan will have been active in this industry for 30 years; he deserves the title of a thought leader in the industry. So, as an ‘experienced newcomer’, we offer companies with very specific route and navigation requirements, the opportunity to offer their own customers innovative services quickly and cost-effectively. Something that is not always possible with the more established names.

If you have more questions, please contact us at Contact sales.

Magic Lane launches new AI Dashcam 2.0 model in the AI Store™

Magic Lane AI Dashcam ADAS 2.0 is now available in the AI Store™

LAS VEGAS, NV — November 9, 2021 — Smarter AI, a leader in AI cameras and enablement software, has launched its newest and best version yet from AI model partner Magic Lane. Magic Lane AI Dashcam ADAS 2.0 is available today with Smarter AI Dashcams and other leading AI camera systems based on the Smarter AI Platform.

“We are always aiming to be the safest and most developed option on the market while running on lightweight hardware, which is why we are constantly adapting to client needs,” says Job van Dijk, co-founder of Magic Lane. “We are confident that fleet operators will love the new and improved Magic Lane AI Dashcam 2.0 and all that comes with it.”

Magic Lane AI Dashcam 2.0 combines optimized and efficient neural networks and computer vision with sensor fusion for more precise driver assistance & training features:

Forward Collision Warning
Headway Warning
Lane Departure Warning
Pedestrian Collision Warning
Traffic Sign Recognition

Precision ADAS enables trusted data and decisions for:

Fleet operators to monitor and improve regulatory compliance, efficiency, and driver safety.
City planners to understand pedestrian and traffic behavior to make informed decisions to improve the environment, local economies, transportation systems, and public safety.
Automotive OEMs to improve regulatory compliance and driving safety.

“I’m really pleased to see how fleet operators can improve their operations with Magic Lane AI Dashcam ADAS 2.0 and Smarter AI Platform. Fleet operators are finally able to configure an ADAS system for their specific needs,” says Claude Hocheurtiner, Smarter AI’s director of products and data.

Smarter AI enables camera users to download AI models like apps on a phone. Smarter AI is supported by the AI Store™, the company’s growing ecosystem of AI developers and models, including cabin monitoring, driver assistance, driver ID, and driver monitoring. Smarter AI APIs enable integration with legacy devices, sensors and systems, including fleet management, telematics, and video telematics systems.

Smarter AI supports new and legacy cameras with Smarter AI Dashcams, Smarter AI Gateways, and other leading AI camera systems powered by the Smarter AI Platform.

To learn more about Smarter AI and its offerings, please visit https://smarterai.camera/.

About Smarter AI
AI is transforming CCTV cameras and their use cases. Because each use case requires unique AI models and programming, Smarter AI software-defined cameras:

Download AI models like apps on a phone, and are
Supported by AI Store™, our growing ecosystem of AI models and developers, to
Enable any camera network with precision AI for trusted data and decisions.

Smarter AI has been deployed by carriers, device makers, and service providers to millions of endpoints worldwide. More information is available at https://smarterai.camera.

About Magic Lane
Magic Lane is a leader in artificial intelligence and deep learning for vehicles and vehicle fleets. Magic Lane helps fleet operators to improve driver safety, resolve incidents, and save money on insurance. More information at Magic Lane, and Magic Lane AI Dashcam.

Raymond Alves
CEO
Magic Lane
ralves@magiclane.com

Kelly Backstrom
Chief of Staff
Smarter AI
kelly@smarterai.camera
+1 763 221 4011

Magic Lane and Absolute Cycling bring the Magic Lane Maps, Location & Navigation Platform to bicycles

Arnhem and Ridderkerk, the Netherlands, May 5, 2021 – Magic Lane, the European Maps, Location and Navigation Platform that uses open data and respects privacy, teams up with Absolute Cycling to deliver the best possible map experience on a bicycle computer to date.

Magic Lane Co-Founder Job van Dijk said “We are excited to partner with Absolute Cycling because of their passion to deliver the best possible user experience for cyclists. Absolute Cycling will deliver the very first meaningful mapping experience on bicycle computer.”

About Magic Lane

Magic Lane is the European Maps, Location and Navigation Platform that uses open data and respects privacy. More information on our About page.

About Absolute Cycling

As a cyclist the gear you use should work for you, giving you exactly what you need when you need it. By removing all distractions, we leave you with the one thing that cycling is all about: you and you ride. That’s why we’re introducing the smartest cycling computer in the world. The Absolute Cycling One.

Raymond Alves
CEO
Magic Lane
ralves@magiclane.com

Harm Giesen
Director
Absolute Cycling
harm@absolutecycling.com
+31 628 247323

Magic Lane and Smarter AI Collaborate to Bring ADAS To Video Telematics and Fleet Management Systems

Las Vegas and Ridderkerk, the Netherlands, January 20, 2021 – Magic Lane, a leader in artificial intelligence and deep learning for vehicles and vehicle fleets, and Smarter AI, the leader in AI cameras and enablement software with precision AI for trusted data and decisions, today announced a collaboration to deliver advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) to video telematics and fleet management systems. Specifically, the following ADAS features will be available:

Forward Collision Warning
Headway Warning
Pedestrian Collision Warning
Lane Departure Warning
Traffic Sign Recognition
Stop & Go Assist

The collaboration enables the deployment of Magic Lane AI Dashcam’s super-efficient ADAS features to vehicle fleets via Smarter AI Dashcams and other leading AI camera systems powered by the Smarter AI Platform. Fleet operators will benefit from this collaboration, including:

Monitor and improve driver safety
Reduce insurance costs
Resolve incidents which involve their vehicles

Magic Lane Co-Founder Job van Dijk said “Magic Lane provides ADAS features to fleet operators with a need to manage safety and efficiency. We are excited to partner with Smarter AI because of our shared commitment to deliver precision AI for trusted data and decisions.”

“Our Smarter AI Platform enables the deployment of AI cameras and enablement software with precision AI for trusted data and decisions,” said David Buechner, Smarter AI Vice President. “Through our collaboration with Magic Lane, these precision AI models will now include Magic Lane AI Dashcam’s ADAS features for vehicle fleets.”

The Magic Lane ADAS features are available today with Smarter AI Dashcams and other leading AI camera systems based on the Smarter AI Platform.

About Magic Lane

Magic Lane is a leader in artificial intelligence and deep learning for vehicles and vehicle fleets. Magic Lane helps fleet operators to improve driver safety, resolve incidents, and save money on insurance. More information at Magic Lane.

About Smarter AI

Smarter AI enables any camera network with precision AI to produce trusted data and decisions.

Raymond Alves
CEO
Magic Lane
ralves@magiclane.com

Kelly Backstrom
Chief of Staff
Smarter AI
kelly@smarterai.camera
+1 763 221 4011