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§ Private Profile · London, United Kingdom
what3words is a technology company.
what3words offers a global addressing system, assigning a unique three-word combination to every three-meter square on Earth. This technology provides a precise, memorable way to communicate any location, simplifying complex coordinates. It is used for accurate navigation, efficient e-commerce delivery, and improved emergency service coordination.
The company was founded by Chris Sheldrick, Mohan Ganesalingham, and Jack Waley-Cohen. Their core insight stemmed from Sheldrick's frustrations with imprecise addresses while organizing music events. This underscored a clear need for a simpler, more reliable location standard, prompting the development of their innovative system.
what3words serves businesses optimizing operations and customer experiences, particularly in delivery and logistics. Its precision also assists emergency services globally. The company envisions a future where every location is easily discoverable and communicable, enhancing efficiency and accessibility across diverse applications.
what3words has raised $119.2M across 9 funding rounds.
what3words has raised $119.2M in total across 9 funding rounds.
what3words has raised $119.2M in total across 9 funding rounds.
what3words's investors include Dennis Ahrling, Plug & Play Ventures, Krister Mattsson, Angel Invest, Ascension Ventures, Maven Capital Partners, Outrun Ventures, QVentures, Michelle McBane, Siddharth Singhal, Emergence Capital, Hambro Perks.
what3words has raised $119.2M across 9 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $70.5M Other Equity in May 2022.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 24, 2022 | $70.5M Venture Round | Dennis Ahrling | — | Announced |
| Dec 1, 2021 | $10M Series U | — | Plug & Play Ventures | Announced |
| Mar 24, 2021 | $16.5M Venture Round | Krister Mattsson | — | Announced |
| Sep 1, 2020 | $7M Series C | — | Angel Invest, Ascension Ventures, Maven Capital Partners, Outrun Ventures, QVentures, Michelle Mcbane, Siddharth Singhal | Announced |
| Sep 1, 2017 | $300K Series B | — | Emergence Capital, Hambro Perks, Wildcat Ventures | Announced |
| Jun 1, 2016 | $9M Series B | Hussein Hachem | 9Yards Capital, ForgePoint Capital, Y Combinator, Mark Cuban, Sanjay Parekh, Force Over Mass, Intel Capital, Mustard Seed | Announced |
| Nov 1, 2015 | $4M Series A | Arvind Sodhani | 9Yards Capital, ForgePoint Capital, Y Combinator, Mark Cuban, Sanjay Parekh, Horizons Ventures | Announced |
| Mar 20, 2014 | $1M Seed Plus | — | — | Announced |
| Nov 6, 2013 | $800K Seed | — | GUY Westlake | Announced |
what3words is a London-based location technology company founded in 2013 that provides a proprietary geocoding system dividing the world into 57 trillion 3m x 3m squares, each assigned a unique three-word address for precise location communication.[1][2][5] Its core product includes a free app, website, and API for converting between three-word addresses and latitude-longitude coordinates, serving businesses in logistics, e-commerce, automotive, emergency services, and utilities by solving the problem of inaccurate or absent street addresses.[2][3][6] The company targets enterprises with paid integrations while offering free access to individuals and NGOs, generating revenue from B2B partnerships like DPD, DHL, Jaguar Land Rover, Subaru, and Lamborghini, with over £100 million raised from investors including Intel, IKEA's Ingka, Mercedes-Benz, and Sony Innovation Fund.[3]
what3words was co-founded in 2013 by Chris Sheldrick, a musician and tech entrepreneur frustrated with GPS coordinate errors—such as a transposed digit sending a driver astray—prompting him to develop a word-based system with input from a mathematician friend for the 3m grid and linguist Jack Waley-Cohen for memorable word selection.[2][3] Incorporated in March 2013 with a patent filed in April, it raised $500,000 in seed funding by November and pivoted from consumer "OneWord" addresses to a B2B model by 2015, targeting logistics and couriers.[2] Early traction came from post offices and delivery firms, evolving into global adoption with Mercedes-Benz's 10% stake in 2018 for car navigation integration.[2][3]
what3words rides the location intelligence trend, addressing gaps in global addressing amid urbanization, e-commerce boom, and autonomous vehicles, where traditional systems fail for 3m precision in unaddressed areas like parks or motorways.[1][6] Timing aligns with AI/voice tech proliferation (e.g., OpenAI integration) and offline needs in remote/emerging markets, boosted by automotive shifts (Mercedes, Subaru) and logistics demands from DHL/Yodel.[3][4] It influences ecosystems by standardizing communication for emergencies (faster response times), GIS (Esri partnership), and IoT/drones, reducing errors in underserved regions and enabling scalable infrastructure without costly street mapping.[5][6]
what3words is poised for expansion through AI embeddings in enterprise tools, deeper automotive/logistics penetration, and emerging markets via low-cost setup versus traditional addressing.[4][6] Trends like voice AI, offline navigation for EVs/autonomy, and climate-driven field ops (e.g., disaster response) will accelerate growth, potentially evolving its influence toward a de facto global standard alongside GNSS advancements.[3][5] As precise location underpins AI agents and smart cities, expect more hyperscaler integrations and valuation uplift from its £100M+ funding base, solidifying its edge in a fragmented geocoding space.[3]