what3words offers a location system that assigns simple three-word addresses to very specific places, enabling precise geolocation where traditional street addresses fall short. The company is London-based and its system is already used by globally recognised brands such as Mercedes‑Benz and DB Schenker. what3words has launched a new TV campaign in Germany illustrating everyday and unusual locations (porcini mushrooms, a stranded cow, a garden gnome) to drive consumer awareness. The campaign will be broadcast via German Media Pool and amplified across what3words’ digital, social, and owned channels. Leadership says the company plans to accelerate growth in Germany and leverage German Media Pool’s brand-building and media expertise. Financially, the company has secured marketing support and prior strategic investment activity referenced in the articles. what3words has developed a location system that divides the globe into a grid of 3 metre squares, assigning each square a unique combination of three words to provide extremely precise positions (for example, a side door or utility entrance). The product targets gaps in legacy addressing—billions of people lack usable addresses—and is positioned to improve first-time delivery success in e-commerce and logistics. The company cites efficiency and sustainability benefits, including a 2017 study that found a 30% reduction in time spent on the road in the last mile when using the technology. what3words was co‑founded in 2013 by Chris Sheldrick and Jack Waley‑Cohen and is based in London. Financially, the company has raised over £80 million to date. The recent investment from Ingka Investments is intended to support international expansion and deeper partnerships in e-commerce and logistics. what3words has created a new address system that divides the world into 57 trillion 3‑square‑meter squares, each identified by a unique combination of three words. Its app and navigational system are credited with saving lives and are used extensively by emergency services. Over 80% of UK emergency services use what3words, and the number of emergency services using it rose from five last year to 124 across the UK, USA, Canada and Australia. The software is available in 44 languages and has applications across automotive, ride‑hailing, ecommerce and logistics. Recent support from the UK Cabinet Office and an airtime‑for‑equity agreement with Channel 4 Ventures aims to raise awareness among emergency services and the public to drive further adoption. The company has launched on the ResilienceDirect mapping platform with the Cabinet Office and Airbox Systems to provide a single codified place for national agencies responding to critical events. what3words has divided the world into 57 trillion 3-by-3 meter squares and assigns each square a unique three-word address using an algorithm with a 25,000-word vocabulary. The system is available via the what3words app in more than a dozen languages and is designed for easy voice input in cars and devices. Use cases cited include precise drop-offs for ride services, tricky Airbnb entrances, and directing self-driving cars to specific entrances at large venues. The company has focused on automotive integrations, citing inclusion in Mercedes’ MBUX infotainment system and planned TomTom integrations. what3words says the latest funding will be used to expand into new markets and product development. It is based in London and is actively talking with other automakers and suppliers about further infotainment integrations. what3words is a London-based provider of a global addressing system that divides the entire world into 57 trillion 3x3 metre squares, assigning each square a unique three-word address. The system enables people to find and communicate precise locations, including places without regular street addresses, with addresses designed to be memorable. An algorithm applies a vocabulary of approximately 25,000 words per language to avoid confusing combinations and to make input mistakes easy to spot for both humans and machines. The platform is available in 14 languages. Mercedes‑Benz will integrate what3words’ three-word address system and make it available to its customers. The company is led by co-founders and executives Chris Sheldrick (CEO) and Jack Waley-Cohen (COO), and received an investment from Daimler AG, which acquired around a 10% stake for an undisclosed amount.

Total raised

$101M

Funding rounds

9

Latest round

Equity

Latest activity

May 2022