Bee Maps raised 32 million dollars in investment.

Bee Maps, a decentralized mapping project supported by Hivemapper, announced that it has secured $32 million in new financing to expand its global contributor network and scale its infrastructure. This investment round was led by Pantera Capital, LDA Capital, Borderless Capital, and Ajna Capital, making it one of the largest funding events in the decentralized physical infrastructure (DePin) space this year.

Bee Maps operates through the Hivemapper network, one of the largest decentralized physical infrastructure networks focused on Solana. This platform allows drivers to detect real-time road changes (such as new signs, direction changes, or construction areas) through AI-powered dashboard cameras. Thus, digital maps are quickly updated and remain accurate. Bee Maps rewards contributors with its local token, $HONEY, in exchange for collecting images at the street level.

The investment underscores the strong investor demand for Bee Maps' vision of real-time, AI-driven mapping. In recent months, Bee Maps has integrated mapping data with significant players like Lyft and Volkswagen’s robotaxi program into their platforms. The new capital will be directed towards further device deployment, developing AI models that process map features, and increasing contributor incentives associated with $HONEY.

Hivemapper's co-founder Ariel Seidman stated in a press release, "With this funding, we are accelerating global device deployments, expanding inclusivity, and strengthening our AI pipeline. The issue is not demand, but supply."

Additionally, Bee Maps is introducing a new subscription plan that lowers the initial costs from approximately $600 to just $19 per month. This subscription combines hardware, software, and contributor benefits into a single package, facilitating the participation of new contributors in the network.