When was What3words founded?

What3words was founded in 2013 and raised its 1st funding round within a year of its incorporation.

Where is What3words located?

What3words is headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is registered at WHAT3WORDS, STUDIO 301 GREAT WESTERN STUDIOS,65 ALFRED RD,LONDON,ENGLAND,W2 5EU.

Who is the current CEO of What3words?

Chris Sheldrick of What3words. They have also founded 1 company.

Which legal entities is What3words associated with?

What3words is associated with What3words Limited and 1 other.

How many employees does What3words have?

As of Aug 31, 2026, the latest employee count at What3words is 168.

Is What3words a funded company?

What3words is a funded company, having raised a total of $231M across 16 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a $***** Seed round, raised on Mar 14, 2013.

How much is What3words worth?

The latest valuation of What3words is $***** as of Oct 25, 2022.

When was the latest funding round of What3words?

What3words' latest funding was a $***** Series C round on Jul 10, 2023, with participation from 0 investor.

What is the annual revenue of What3words?

Annual revenue of What3words is between £1M and £10M as on Dec 31, 2025

Where does What3words rank among its competitors?

What3words ranks 6th amongst 684 active competitors, of which 54 are funded. It stands 3rd in terms of total funding among its competitors. The most recent competitor to raise funding was Xona Space Systems, which secured $170M in Mar, 2026.

Who are the top competitors of What3words?

What3words' top competitors include TomTom, Xona Space Systems and Topcon Positioning. Among them, Xona Space Systems secured the most recent funding round in March, 2026.

What3words - 2026 Company Profile, Team, Funding, Competitors & Financials

Company Details

Developer of a system assigning unique identifiers to small areas. This technology divides the surface into squares, assigning a distinct combination of three words to each segment. These identifiers provide a method for communicating precise coordinates for navigation and logistics. The system functions through a digital interface that allows users to identify, share, and store specific points. It operates independently of traditional street addressing conventions and remains functional without an active network connection. The technology integrates into various software applications to facilitate location identification for transport and delivery purposes.

Website: what3words.com/clip.apples.leap?redirect=true
Social
Email ID: *****@what3words.com
Phone Number: +44 **********
Registered Address: WHAT3WORDS, STUDIO 301 GREAT WESTERN STUDIOS,65 ALFRED RD,LONDON,ENGLAND,W2 5EU

Key Metrics

Founded Year

2013

Location

London, United Kingdom

Stage

Series C

Total Funding

$231M in 16 rounds

Latest Funding Round

Series C, Jul 10, 2023, $*****

Post Money Valuation

$***** as on Oct 25, 2022

Investors

Aramex & 211 more

Ranked

6^th among 684 active competitors

Annual Revenue

£1M - £10M as on Dec 31, 2025

Employee Count

168 as on Aug 31, 2026

Investment & Acquisitions

Swiftcomplete

Similar Companies

TomTom & 873 more

View What3words' full profile

What3words is associated with 2 legal entities given below:

Legal Entity Name	Date of Incorporation	Revenue	Latest Employee Count	Reports
What3words Limited CIN: 8430008 , United Kingdom, Active	Mar 04, 2013	£1M - £10M (As on Dec 31, 2025)	152 (As on Jan 31, 2022)
What3words Limited CIN: 8430008 , Germany, Active	Mar 04, 2013	£0 - £1M (As on Dec 31, 2019)	118 (As on Dec 31, 2020)

What3words has raised a total funding of $231M over 16 rounds. Its first funding round was on Mar 14, 2013. What3words has 88 institutional investors and 124 angel investors.

Here is the list of recent funding rounds of What3words:

Filter this list

Date of Funding	Funding Amount	Round Name	Post-Money Valuation	Revenue Multiple	Lead Investors	Other Investors
Jul 10, 2023	5895829	Series C	1310574	2920699	1461577	5671197
Oct 25, 2022	7204111	Series C	7546789	6421258	4490544	5448820
Jul 13, 2022	2281974	Series C	3594562	5294281	9126054	7074635

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View details of What3words's funding rounds and investors

The founders of What3words are Jack David Waley-Cohen, Abdul Guefor, Chris Sheldrick and Mohan Ganesalingam. Chris Sheldrick is the CEO of What3words.

Here are the details of What3words' key team members:

Jack David Waley-Cohen: Co-Founder & COO of What3words. They are also an angel investor in 1 startup.
Contact Info: 1 email address
Abdul Guefor: Co-Founder of What3words. They serve on the board of 1 company.
Contact Info: 1 email address and 1 phone number
Chris Sheldrick: Co-Founder & CEO of What3words.
Contact Info: 1 email address
Mohan Ganesalingam: Co-Founder of What3words.

What3words' Board of Directors

What3words's board has 3 active members. Abdul Guefor is part of team and Christopher John Ralph Sheldrick and Georges Massing are independent board members.

Here is the list of What3words' board of directors:

Name	Type	Representing	Status	Duration
Abdul Guefor	Team	-	Current	10y 3m
Christopher John Ralph Sheldrick	Independent board member	-	Current	13y 6m
lfhcuzu	Independent board member	-	Current	8y 1m
biazbwe	Independent board member	-	Past	7y 1m
xxcjffe	Independent board member	-	Past	4y 3m
lztlsud	Independent board member	-	Past	4y 2m
knflk{b	Independent board member	-	Past	1y 4m
fublb{u	Independent board member	-	Past	9y 3m

View details of What3words's Founder profiles and Board Members

What3words' employee count trend

What3words has 168 employees as of Aug 26. Here is What3words's employee count trend over the years:

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Top competitors of What3words include TomTom, Xona Space Systems and Topcon Positioning. Here is the list of Top 10 competitors of What3words, ranked by Tracxn score:

Rank	Company Details	Short Description	Total Funding	Investors	Tracxn Score
1st	TomTom 1991, Amsterdam (Netherlands), Public	Provider of maps, navigation software, traffic data, and location technology	-	Aimforthemoon, Artiman & 2 others	73/100
2nd	Xona Space Systems 2019, Burlingame (United States), Series C	Developer of positioning, navigation, and timing infrastructure for connected systems	$320M	Seraphim, Mohari Ventures Natural Capital ... & 37 others	66/100
3rd	Topcon Positioning 1932, United States, Unfunded	Manufacturer of precision positioning and construction equipment and related software	-	-	64/100
4th	Kinexon 2012, Munich (Germany), Series A	Provider of real-time location systems for industrial automation and operations	$130M	Thomas H Lee Partners, Wessel Management ... & 21 others	63/100
5th	Focal Point Positioning 2015, Cambridge (United Kingdom), Series C	Provider of AI-based software to increase the accuracy of GNSS in devices	$69.2M	Molten Ventures, Cambridge Angels & 25 others	62/100
6th	What3words 2013, London (United Kingdom), Series C	Developer of a system assigning unique identifiers to small areas	$231M	Intel, Allen & Company & 210 others	56/100
7th	NextNav 2008, Sunnyvale (United States), Public	Provider of an indoor positioning solution for enterprises	$284M	Fortress, Oak Investment Partners & 8 others	60/100
8th	Fixposition 2017, Schlieren (Switzerland), Seed	Provider of positioning services for multiple applications	$9.35M	True Ventures, Cultivation Capital & 12 others	59/100
9th	Qianxun 2015, Shanghai (China), Series B	Provider of satellite-based positioning system solutions	$141M	Industrial And Commercial Bank Of China, SIG ... & 5 others	57/100
10th	Mickware 2003, Kobe (Japan), Public	Provider of an outdoor navigation application for vehicles	-	-	57/100