Macadam: A app that rewards you for taking steps

Macadam has started operating in the market after its launch in France, where it accumulates millions of users.

This application aims to. motivate its users to walk more and to abandon their sedentary lifestyle thanks to a reward system.. By promoting the practice of walking instead of riding a car, motorcycle, electric bicycle or scooter, Macadam aims to have a positive impact on the environment.

The idea of creating the app was born from the experience of its own founders, who spent a lot of time immobile working in front of the computer.

In January of last year, three French entrepreneurs –Benjamin Daudignac, Louis Roblin and Baptiste Villain– decided to put an end to their “frenetic” day-to-day at their fintech startup and put physical activity back at the center of their lives. Thus Macadam was born.

“Because of the pace of work we were in, we had an ultra-sedentary lifestyle for almost 3 years. We would arrive at the office at 9 a.m. on scooters and leave at 9/10 at night. We had food delivered every day and didn’t do any sports,” says Benjamin Daudignac, co-founder of Macadam, in a press release.

“When we quit our jobs, we motivated ourselves to be more and more active, and today not a day goes by when we haven’t done a physical activity or at least 10,000 steps. We now make all our trips on foot or by bicycle,” he adds.

How does Macadam work?

The app features a pedometer and has been intended as a game. Every step is rewarded to make the user want to continue on their path and keep accomplishing goals.

In parallel to their daily steps, the user can participate in challenges.either to do them alone or to compete with friends. A ranking system built into the app allows users to go even further in gamification.

“We have created a whole universe around Macadam, which is similar to that of a mobile game, with many popular references and unconventional graphics. In the app, our users want to surpass themselves and appreciate the fact that they compare themselves with friends,” says Benjamin Daudignac.

Every night, users can redeem their steps for virtual coinswhich, upon reaching a certain number can be exchanged for euros..

Future plans

In the not too distant future Macadam expects to be able to reward any type of activity as soon as the user leaves his or her home (exhibition, wine tasting, etc.). To this end, the application intends to develop many social features in the coming months.

In Q2 2023, Macadam also intends to bring its app to the rest of Europe, as well as cross the pond and land in the US.

Macadam is available for free on Google Play and the App Store.