Six years ago, we founded Roadmap, and a lot has happened since. But first, let’s fast forward to today, as we have some important news to share: we are very proud to announce we’re joining forces with another company. And not just any company. Emburse and Roadmap have similar values and share the same purpose: to humanize work. Will you join us for a fast trip down memory lane and a glimpse at the future?
A fast trip down memory lane
In April 2015, we first set foot in our office. Everything was new — not only the desks and the coffee machine but also our staff and the industry. We were thrilled to roll up our sleeves and get to work because we felt the industry seriously lagged behind when it came to automation. We believed it was held hostage by a handful of large companies that were unwilling or unable to change.
So, we bootstrapped the company, and our team of 18 people got started. We had so much to build and so little time. We were convinced the gap in the market wouldn’t go unnoticed, and organizations could prioritize the well-being of their business travelers any day. We wanted to be ready. Little did we know what the future had in store for us…
After spending most of our money building a consumerized business travel application, we started to garner some market attention. Our first customer, Pfizer, took a chance on us, a startup in the Netherlands. They’re fantastic, and we still owe them.
In the same year, we won two BTN Innovation Awards (‘People’s Choice’ and the ‘Jury Award’), after which we signed Microsoft. In the picture above, you can see us celebrating this milestone. It probably looks familiar. We post it often because it was a special moment for Roadmap — one that our co-founder Koen missed, as he was already hunting for new customers. Celebrating successes was not his style.
A word of gratitude
In the past six years, there have been many moments like the one in the picture. We cherish them all. The industry, the partnerships, our customers, the conferences, the parties, the beers: everything has been wonderful. We have made a lot of friends, and we’d like to thank each of you for supporting us in our quest to change the industry and achieve traveler happiness.
Let’s turn the page
Now, it’s time for a new chapter in Roadmap’s exciting book. We are delighted to announce that as of today, we are joining Emburse, a global leader in expense management and accounts payable automation. The mission of Emburse is to humanize work. It aims to eliminate manual processes, make faster and smarter decisions, and help improve users’ lives and businesses.
Emburse has an impressive product portfolio, and its values and purpose are very similar to Roadmap’s. It was love at first sight. Joining hands with Emburse will allow us to accelerate our vision: we can automate the entire employee journey while creating a thoughtful, seamless traveler experience.
Everyone in the Roadmap team will remain on board, and we will double down on developing an open travel and expense platform. A world of possibilities has opened up, and we can’t wait to discuss how to reach the next level with you.
Thanks for everything, and let’s catch up soon!
On behalf of the entire Roadmap team,
Jeroen, Koen, and Markus
