what3words

what3words is a London-based location technology company founded in 2013 by Chris Sheldrick, Mohan Ganesalingam, Jack Waley-Cohen, and Michael Dent, built to solve a universal problem: the world's addressing systems are inadequate for the precision that modern logistics, emergency services, and navigation demand. The company has divided the entire Earth's surface into a grid of 57 trillion three-by-three-metre squares and assigned each one a permanent, unique combination of three dictionary words — a what3words address. The system covers the entire planet, never needs updating, operates offline, and is optimised for voice input, with built-in error prevention that immediately identifies and corrects likely input mistakes.

what3words has become deeply embedded in critical infrastructure. It is used by over 85% of UK Police, Ambulance, and Fire services to locate emergency incidents more precisely and respond faster. The system is integrated into in-car navigation for major automotive brands including Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar Land Rover, Lamborghini, Tata Motors, Mahindra, and Vinfast. In e-commerce and logistics, it allows customers to pinpoint delivery locations down to a specific door, garden gate, or building entrance — reducing failed deliveries and cutting last-mile costs. The free what3words app has been downloaded over 30 million times and is available in over 60 languages.

what3words has raised over £100 million from investors including Intel Capital, Mercedes-Benz, Deutsche Bahn, Aramex, Sony Innovation Fund, and SAIC Motor Corp. Most recently it received a £12 million investment from Ingka Investments, the investment arm of Ingka Group (owner of IKEA), to accelerate international expansion and deepen integration in e-commerce and logistics. The company's business model licenses the technology to businesses while keeping the app and API free for individual consumers and public services — a structure designed to maximise adoption and lock in what3words as a global standard for location communication.