About What3words
What3words is a company based in London (United Kingdom) founded in 2013 by John Wilfred Lazar and Abdul Guefor. What3words has raised $231.46 million across 16 funding rounds from investors including ITVX, Aramex and Mercedes-Benz. What3words has completed 1 acquisition, including Swiftcomplete. What3words offers products and services including what3words App and Developer API.
- Headquarter London, United Kingdom
- Founders John Wilfred Lazar, Abdul Guefor
- Stage Minicorn
- SectorsIndustrial Goods & ManufacturingTechnology
- Email••••••••
- Website what3words.com/clip.apples.leap?redirect=true
- Social LinkedIn X Facebook Instagram YouTube
- Legal Name What3words Limited
- Date of Incorporation 05 Mar, 2013
- Jurisdiction LONDON, ENGLAND
- Total Equity Funding$231.46 M (USD)
in 16 rounds
- Latest Funding Round$8.95 M (USD), Series C
Jul 10, 2023
- InvestorsITVX
& 15 more
- Investments & Acquisitions
Products & Services of What3words
What3words offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, including what3words App and Developer API.
App for precise location identification using three-word codes
Tools for integrating location services into applications
Apps and channels of What3words
What3words publishes 2 mobile apps with over 10M+ downloads; its YouTube channel what3words has 17.1K subscribers and 30 videos.
Videos from What3words
The most watched videos on What3words's YouTube channel, what3words (17.1K subscribers). Click a video to play it here.
More on what3words.
Funding Insights of What3words
What3words has successfully raised a total of $231.46M across 16 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Series C round of $8.95 million completed in July 2023. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
- Total Funding $231.5M
- Total Rounds 16
- Last Round Series C — $8.9M
- First Round $79,123
(14 Mar 2013)
- Investors Count 16
Latest 10 of 16 funding rounds of What3words with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Jul 2023 | $8.9M | Series C | – | – | – |
| 25 Oct 2022 | $65.8M | Series C | $261.7M | – | – |
| 13 Jul 2022 | $7.7M | Series C | – | – | – |
| 20 Dec 2021 | $10.0M | Series C | – | Brand Capital International | |
| 24 Mar 2021 | $16.0M | Series C | – | Ingka , ITV | – |
| 22 Jul 2020 | $43.8M | Series C | $216.4M | Channel 4 Ventures | – |
| 18 Jan 2019 | $22.7M | Series C | $••••• | – | – |
| 28 Jun 2018 | $5.5M | Series C | – | Nico Rosberg , Alpine | |
| 15 Jan 2018 | $7.2M | Series C | $••••• | Mercedes-Benz | – |
| 04 Apr 2017 | $26.4M | Series B | $••••• | – |
| Date | Valuation | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Oct 2022 | $261.7M | •••••••• |
| 22 Jul 2020 | $216.4M | •••••••• |
| 18 Jan 2019 | $••••• | •••••••• |
| 15 Jan 2018 | $••••• | •••••••• |
| 04 Apr 2017 | $••••• | •••••••• |
| 29 Jun 2016 | $••••• | •••••••• |
| 02 Apr 2015 | $••••• | •••••••• |
| 20 Mar 2014 | $••••• | •••••••• |
Full valuation and stage history of What3words
Every valuation point, the growth-stage changes (minicorn, soonicorn, unicorn) and the dates behind them require an active premium plan.
- All valuation points
- Stage changes
- Dates
- Exports
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Last known valuation $261.7M (Oct 2022). 16 investors in total: 14 institutional and 2 angel.
Investors in What3words
What3words has secured backing from 16 investors, including institutional, venture fund, and angel investors. Prominent investors backing the company include ITVX, Aramex and Mercedes-Benz.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Venture capital firm focused on series A and late-stage companies | – | germanmediapool.com | Berlin, Germany | |
Private equity investments are directed across multiple sectors. | – | channel4ventures.com | London, United Kingdom | |
Venture capital firm focused on big data, IoT, and human machine | – | saicvc.com | Menlo Park, United States | |
Investment in technology startups focusing on compute, AI, and related innovations. | – | intelcapital.com | - | |
Early-stage tech investments are targeted by DB Digital Ventures. | – | deutschebahnventures.de | Berlin, Germany | |
Venture capital fund focused on SaaS, AI, blockchain, gaming, fintech, and multiple sectors | – | fomcap.com | London, United Kingdom | |
Horizons Ventures is focused on investing in deep science and technology. | – | horizonsventures.com | Hong Kong, China | |
Provides branding and advertising services for international business expansion into India. | 2015 | brandcapitalus.com | Redwood City, United States | |
Multiple industries are managed by Ingka group from the Netherlands. | – | ingka.com | Leiden, Netherlands | |
Subscription-based streaming of movies, series, and live channels is provided. | 1994 | itv.com | Holborn, United Kingdom |
Investor details for What3words
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
- Round participation
- Investor portfolios
- Co-investor network
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
People of What3words
52 people are tracked at What3words (25 in leadership, 27 in team).
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
John Wilfred Lazar | Co-Founder | Leadership |
Abdul Guefor | Co-Founder | Leadership |
Chris Sheldrick | Co-Founder & CEO | Leadership |
Jack Waley-Cohen | Co-Founder & Chief Corporate Development Officer | Leadership |
Wil Poole | Head of Data & Analytics | Leadership |
Dave Duprey | Head Of Ios | Leadership |
Geordie Palmer | Business Development Director | Leadership |
Ian Dunnett | Chief Information Officer | Leadership |
Tittykay Cesay | Partner Marketing Manager | Leadership |
Laura Schediwy | Director, DACH | Leadership |
Jane Stephenson | Chief Marketing Officer | Leadership |
Ivan Pols | Chief Creative Officer | Leadership |
Jo Clark | Head of Business Development Operations | Leadership |
David Shakory | Partnerships Director | Leadership |
Graham Livesey | Head of Recruitment | Leadership |
Joe Poynter | Director | Leadership |
Jason Stephens | Head Of Legal | Leadership |
James Cochrane | Head Of APAC | Leadership |
Greg Turtle | Head Of Growth | Leadership |
Alicia Mohammed | Partnerships Lead/ General Manager Of The TNT Office | Leadership |
32 more people are available in the full profile.
Complete people profiles for What3words
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
- Full employee list
- Team structure
- Board tenure
- Professional contacts
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Investments & Acquisitions by What3words
What3words has strategically engaged in corporate development activities, having acquired 1 company. Notable acquisitions include Swiftcomplete.
| Company Name | Description | Domain | Location | Founded | Acquired | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Provides real-time address validation tools for efficient business data management. | swiftcomplete.com | Nottingham, United Kingdom | 2014 | Feb 2025 | •••• |
Complete acquisition details for What3words
Acquired stakes, deal sources and the complete acquisition history require an active premium plan.
- Acquired stakes
- Deal sources
- Complete history
- Exports
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Timeline of What3words
5 dated milestones of What3words across 12 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded What3words is founded.
- Funding First funding round of $79K.
- Milestone Reaches Minicorn status.
- Funding Latest funding round, Series C, of $8.9M.
- Acquisition Acquires Swiftcomplete.
Latest news on What3words
Complete news archive for What3words
Full article history, source details, and older brand coverage require an active premium plan.
- Full article archive
- Source and publication date
- Older coverage
- Brand-specific news history
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Similar companies to What3words
10 companies that operate in the same segment as What3words (Physical Security & Surveillance), ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cloud-based business telephony and home security services are provided. | 2004 | Palo Alto, California, United States | USD 87.97 M | USD 273.6 M | 1,190 | |
AI-powered cloud-based vehicle tracking solutions are offered for fleet owners. | 2015 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 915 M | USD 1.62 B | 3,500 | |
Cloud-based smart security cameras are manufactured for home use. | 1999 | Provo, Utah, United States | USD 172 M | USD 341.04 M | 11,275 | |
Family and friends are connected through location-sharing mobile app. | 2008 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 89.74 M | USD 489.48 M | 569 | |
Wireless home security systems are offered with cellular monitoring. | 2006 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | USD 387 M | – | – | |
Enterprise video surveillance systems and platforms are developed. | 2016 | San Mateo, California, United States | USD 656.64 M | – | – | |
Wireless smart home security cameras and doorbells are provided. | 2009 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | USD 40.07 M | – | – | |
Provider of smart thermostats for commercial and residential applications | 2007 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | USD 151.52 M | – | – | |
A personal safety network is provided for community protection. | 2017 | New York, New York, United States | USD 143.72 M | – | – | |
CLEAR is focused on secure identity verification for seamless experiences. | 2010 | New York, New York, United States | USD 135 M | USD 900.78 M | 4,019 |
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Frequently Asked Questions about What3words
What3words was founded in 2013.
What3words is headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is registered at London, England, United Kingdom.
What3words is a funded company, having raised a total of $231.46M across 16 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Series B of $26.4M, raised on Mar 14, 2013.
What3words was founded in 2013 in London, United Kingdom, as a geolocation technology provider. A proprietary system is utilized to assign unique three-word addresses to every three-by-three-meter square on Earth, enabling precise location sharing. Services include APIs, SDKs, and mobile applications for iOS and Android, with compatibility extended to drones, voice assistants, and autonomous vehicles. Operations focus on global accessibility for navigation and logistics applications.
What3words offers what3words App and Developer API.
What3words has made 1 acquisition, including Swiftcomplete.
What3words has 16 investors. Key investors include ITVX, Aramex, Mercedes-Benz, Alpine, and Brand Capital International.
The valuation of What3words is $261.71M as of Oct 2022.
What3words operates through What3words Limited.
Yes. What3words publishes what3words: Navigation & Maps and 1 more app, with over 10 million downloads.