UNL

What UNL does

UNL is a Singapore-headquartered micro-location and mapping technology company building what it calls the Internet of Places. Its core technology pixelizes the world into a 3D Smart Grid of micro-cells, each assigned a unique UNL geoID with horizontal and vertical precision down to 1x1cm² and 1x1cm³. The platform is offered as a location operating system combining four API suites (Maps, Discovery for geocoding and search, Routing, and Geofencing), mobile and web SDKs, and Virtual Private Maps (VPMs) that allow customers to manage proprietary location data with full ownership. Compliance claims include ISO-27001, OGC standards adherence, and GDPR alignment.

The company serves four primary customer segments: startups and scale-ups using low-/no-code DIY APIs; enterprises procuring the full UNL Enterprise Location OS via direct sales; governments and smart cities (e.g., India's NHEV E-highway project) deploying location infrastructure for urban mobility; and developers integrating location services through SDKs. The go-to-market combines self-service PLG (API/SDK access, DIY toolkit) with enterprise field sales (quote-based annual contracts). Revenue streams are predominantly recurring subscriptions for API/SDK and VPM access, supplemented by professional services for advanced implementations and co-creation engagements.

UNL has raised approximately US$6.5M to date across a 2019 pre-seed (US$120K), a March 2020 seed (US$2M), and a January 2022 pre-Series A (US$4.5M), with HERE Technologies and Elev8.vc as co-leads across the larger rounds. Strategic backers include HERE Technologies, SGInnovate, SOSV/MOX, and Venturerock. The company holds high-signal commercial partnerships with GrabMaps (Southeast Asia, 2025), Genesys International (India, 2022), and Studio Galilei (smart mobility, 2025), and has assembled an advisory bench including Allen Shim (former Slack CFO, Board), Brad Bao (Lime Co-Founder/Chairman), and Craig Barnes (former HERE Technologies Senior Research Manager). Operations span Singapore (HQ), Amsterdam (engineering), New Delhi, and Dubai.

Name

UNL

Legal name

UNL Global

Website

https://unl.global

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

UNL is a Singapore-based micro-location platform that provides APIs, SDKs, and a 3D Smart Grid mapping infrastructure for developers, enterprises, governments, and smart cities to build location-enabled applications with centimeter-level precision and full data ownership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Singapore

HQ country

Singapore

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. API/SDK Platform Access: Revenue from licensing UNL's micro-location platform APIs and SDKs including Maps, Discovery, Routing, and Geofencing services. Offered as self-service DIY toolkit for developers and enterprises.
2. Enterprise Location OS: Comprehensive Location OS solution for enterprise customers requiring scalable location infrastructure with enterprise-grade security, dedicated support, and professional services.
3. Professional Services: Co-creation and implementation support services for advanced solutions, including dedicated support during implementation and custom development engagements.
4. Virtual Private Maps: Revenue from VPM workspaces that allow businesses to manage and organize their own location data with full ownership and control.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

UNL provides a next-generation micro-location and mapping platform that pixelizes the world into a 3D Smart Grid of micro-cells, each assigned a unique UNL geoID. The platform exposes this infrastructure through Maps, Discovery (geocoding/search), Routing, and Geofencing APIs, Web/Android/iOS SDKs, Virtual Private Maps (VPMs), and an enterprise Location OS, enabling developers, businesses, enterprises, and governments to build location-enabled applications with centimeter-level precision and full data ownership.

Product overview

UNL is a next-gen micro-location and mapping technology platform offering a comprehensive suite of location-based solutions. The platform architecture consists of core products including Virtual Private Maps (VPMs) for private workspace management, UNL geoID for unique location identification at micro-precision (up to 1x1cm), and the UNL Enterprise Location OS for scalable enterprise solutions. These core offerings are complemented by API products covering Maps (Map Tiles API, Web/Android/iOS SDKs), Discovery (Search, Geocoding, Reverse Geocoding, Autocomplete), Routing (Standard, Route Matching, Isoline, Distance Matrix, Waypoint Sequencing, Route Planning), and Geofencing (Create, Get, Delete, Real-Time Events, Historical Events, Traces). The platform enables businesses to build location-enabled applications with hyperlocal intelligence, supporting use cases from e-commerce and delivery to smart city and autonomous solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Maps API

Quantifiable outcome

• 60% of delivery costs attributed to last-mile inefficiencies that can be reduced through precise addressing
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Studio GalileicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 November 2025MOU signed to jointly develop next-generation smart mobility infrastructure. Strategic collaboration to advance smart mobility solutions using UNL's location technology.
• GrabMapscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2025Partnership to deliver next-generation location solutions for Southeast Asia. Combines UNL's micro-location technology with GrabMaps' regional expertise for enhanced location services.
• GREd FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 June 2023Partnership to equip students with advanced geospatial skills. Educational initiative to develop location technology talent and promote geospatial education.
• Genesys InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 November 2022Strategic alliance to build a hyperlocal location technology platform powered by a precise 3D digital map of India. Combines Genesys' mapping capabilities with UNL's micro-location infrastructure.
• NHEV (National Highways for EV)coreTechnology or Integration · 5 July 2022Technology provider for geofencing Jaipur-Delhi-Agra E-highway. UNL provides micro-location infrastructure for EV charging station navigation, theft-proof relay systems, and smart mobility on India's E-highways.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Mapbox: Mapbox provides developer-focused mapping, geocoding, routing and navigation APIs/SDKs — the closest direct competitor to UNL's Maps, Discovery and Routing API suites, targeting the same developer and enterprise location-stack buyer.
• Radar: Radar provides geofencing, location tracking and maps-as-a-service APIs for app developers — directly overlapping with UNL's Geofencing, Traces and Maps API suites and serving a similar enterprise developer buyer.
• Foursquare: Foursquare operates a location data and places API platform (Places, Movement, Visits) overlapping with UNL's Discovery/Geocoding APIs and serving enterprise customers in retail, advertising and on-demand services.

Broad incumbents

• HERE Technologies: Global mapping and location platform offering enterprise-grade map data, geocoding, routing and SDKs across automotive, logistics and telco. Overlaps directly with UNL's APIs but at vastly greater scale; also an investor and ecosystem partner of UNL.
• Google Maps Platform: Dominant cloud mapping and location services platform (Maps, Places, Routes APIs). Sets pricing benchmarks and developer expectations against which any alternative location API platform, including UNL, must compete.
• TomTom: TomTom supplies map data, geocoding, routing and traffic APIs to enterprises and automotive OEMs — a broader incumbent with comparable developer APIs that competes with UNL for the same enterprise location stack.
• Precisely: Precisely provides data integrity, geospatial and address verification software to enterprises — adjacent to UNL's addressing proposition and competing for the same data-quality and master-data budgets.

Peers

• what3words: what3words assigns a unique 3-word address to every 3m² square on earth — a direct conceptual analogue to UNL's geoID for the 'unaddressed' problem, with comparable use cases in e-commerce, logistics, travel and emergency services.

Regional players

• GrabMaps: Grab's mapping arm provides location data and services across Southeast Asia — both a strategic partner and a regional competitor for UNL's SEA enterprise and delivery workloads.
• Genesys International: India-based mapping, GIS and 3D digital twin company — strategic alliance partner of UNL in India, with overlapping capabilities in 3D mapping that make it both a collaborator and a regional peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/UNLglobal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unlglobal
• Instagraminstagram.com/unlglobal
• Xx.com/UNLglobal

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors7 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UNL