A product designer who spent years traveling the world has launched an app that transforms road trips into educational experiences – and it’s already earning recognition and award nominations.
Thomas Moeller, who runs London-based design studio ZeroSixty with co-founder Kalpesh Rathod, created Drive Stories after years of traveling and wondering about the stories behind the places he was passing through.
“As a designer and fellow traveller and road tripper, I’ve been working on a bit of a passion project called Drive Stories – it’s a location-based audio app you can use while driving and exploring new locations,” Thomas told Founder Insights.
“It was inspired from all my time travelling around the world and being curious about the stories, information and facts about the places I was going through.
“I’ve really been focused on the experience and romance of the road trip, and trying to help us get back to the beauty of the open road and enjoying our surroundings.”
The app works by pinpointing users’ exact geo-location on-demand and presenting the nearest 10 locations to choose from.
Users can tap ‘play’ or select from 15 categories including History, Arts & Culture, Literature, Architecture, Wildlife & Nature, and Important People.
Drive Stories is now available in 62 languages across 175 countries on all app stores.
“I’m hoping that people all around the globe will tap into it and see how interesting, educational, and enlightening it can be to discover info about the locations you are driving through with such a simple and powerful on-demand audio interface,” Thomas said.
The app has earned a 2025 Fast Company Innovation Award, an ODA Winner recognition, and is nominated for a 2026 Webby Award.
Thomas developed Drive Stories as an internal product through ZeroSixty, the design studio he co-founded with Kalpesh Rathod.
The studio works with large global brands, organisations and startups to bring ideas to market.
Before launching Drive Stories, Thomas said the key moment that sparked the idea came from his global travel and adventures over the years and considering how technology could help bring places to life for travellers.
But building the app wasn’t without challenges.
“Navigating and leveraging new and emerging tools and technology, like AI and all the LLMs and various code integrations has been a hurdle.”
ZeroSixty itself was built on the principle of “impact through accelerated design,” with Thomas and Kalpesh finding their first customers through their network and past clients.
“My co-founder Kalpesh has been my partner through all our ups and downs and we compliment one another from a skills and expertise POV, so we can handle most challenges thrown our way,” Thomas said.
The studio’s biggest challenge has been “wearing multiple hats and always delivering world class work.”
Thomas said running the business has given him “more inspiration, passion and motivation.”
“Having ultimate autonomy is both creatively freeing but also incredibly stressful,” he said.
“Somewhere in the middle we’re able to free up and focus on seriously valuable time and output for our clients.”
ZeroSixty has won Fast Company Innovation by Design awards in the AI category for two consecutive years, appearing alongside brands like Google, Samsung and Canva.
When asked to describe his leadership approach, Thomas said: “Hands on, in the trenches, invested, making it personal and giving a shit.”
The studio’s mission is clear: “Improving people’s lives and solving meaningful challenges through the power of design.”
Looking ahead, Thomas wants ZeroSixty to become a “top tier design studio with award winning and successfully launched products that are making impact.”
For Drive Stories specifically, the goal is “amplifying and getting more exposure and awareness.”
