One of the fastest-growing tech companies based out of Louisville has a change of leadership at the highest level.
GoodMaps — a startup that has been using various technologies to create indoor navigation maps for sight impaired and other users — announced Monday that Jose Gaztambide has stepped down as CEO, as of Friday, May 3, per a news release.
He has been replaced by Theresa Reno-Weber, who had been serving as the company’s president and chief operating officer. She joined GoodMaps as COO in November 2022, as I reported back in December 2022.
“As I step into the role of CEO, I am both honored and energized by the opportunity to lead our incredible team and company into the next phase of growth,” Reno-Weber said in the release. “As president and COO, I’ve had the privilege of engaging with customers across the U.S., Canada and the UK — and have witnessed firsthand the dedication, talent and passion that drive our success.
"At this pivotal moment, I am deeply committed to building upon our foundation of inclusive innovation to drive even greater impact in the world of indoor mapping and positioning, and accessible navigation.”
Reno-Weber previously served close to five years as the president and CEO of Metro United Way. During her tenure there, she was named to our first Power 50 list in 2021, as well as an Enterprising Women honoree in 2020. It was also there where she met Gaztambide, who serves on the organization’s board.
“We are pleased to announce that Theresa Reno-Weber has been promoted from her role as president and COO of GoodMaps to the CEO position,” said Phoebe Wood, board chair of GoodMaps, in a release. “Theresa’s previous executive success as CEO of Metro United Way and chief of Performance & Technology at Louisville Metro Government, coupled with her tenure and understanding of GoodMaps make her the ideal leader to grow the company and further develop its technology for the benefit of all.”
Gaztambide will be relocating to the Boston metro area in the upcoming months to become the CEO of an undisclosed AI startup, which is in stealth mode. Gaztambide is familiar with the area, having earned a bachelor’s degree in business management at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Gaztambide became CEO at GoodMaps in March 2019. In 2022, he was honored by the Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame as one of four of its “Emerging Entrepreneurs” that year.
He also serves as a board member at Amplify Louisville, according to his LinkedIn profile. He first arrived in Louisville in 2017 as director of strategy and social impact for Louisville-based Interapt.
“I have been so honored to lead this exceptional organization over the past five years and am grateful to each and every one of them for their hard work and commitment to our mission,” Gaztambide said in the statement. “Our vision was audacious, but resounded with users, clients, investors and partners throughout the world. There is no one better positioned than Theresa to take GoodMaps into its next chapter.”
Added Reno-Weber about Gaztambide in the release: “We are so grateful to Jose for his bold leadership over the past five years. By taking GoodMaps from its initial idea to the company it is today, serving customers in eight countries and growing, Jose has helped secure our position as a global pioneer in inclusive indoor navigation.”
At the time that Reno-Weber joined GoodMaps, the company had a headcount of approximately 30. As of today, the company’s headcount is at 34, with 50% of the team working three to four days a week at its main headquarters at 1741 Frankfort Ave. in Louisville (the rest from home), Reno-Weber said via email.
As far as who will replace Reno-Weber as president and COO, said that the company will explore both internal and external avenues.
“We are evaluating what we need from our next hire to best complement our leadership at this stage of GoodMaps’ growth,” she said in an email.
GoodMaps was founded in 2019 by the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) with an app called Access Explorer. When it was one of our 2023 Inno Fire Awards for the category of “On the Rise,” the company had raised $7.5 million. The company received a huge boost in September 2023 when it claimed a $1 million prize at the Rally innovation conference in Indianapolis.
Its local investors include APH, FutureLabs Capital (Mack Swhab), Keyhorse Capital and Brook Smith, who co-owns the horse, Sierra Leone, who finished second in the 150th Kentucky Derby on Saturday.
I stopped by the GoodMaps offices in November to see a glimpse of the LiDAR (light detection and ranging) technology that the company uses. At the time, GoodMaps had just launched the newest iteration of its app and was in the process of getting some 13,000 users switched over to the upgraded platform.
