Nestwave

What Nestwave does

Nestwave is a privately held provider of advanced geolocation solutions targeting the Internet of Things (IoT) market. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Paris, France, the company develops positioning technology intended for connected IoT devices requiring low-power, compact geolocation capabilities. Specific product SKUs, technical specifications, target IoT verticals (e.g., asset tracking, wearables, smart city, industrial IoT), and integration partners were not disclosed in the available data, leaving the precise technology stack and value chain position ambiguous. The company operates with a small team of 11-50 employees, consistent with an early-to-mid-stage technology startup, and maintains a Paris-based headquarters.

Nestwave has secured approximately $7.88 million in disclosed funding across four rounds between April 2019 and June 2022. Capital sources are predominantly European: non-dilutive grants from the European Innovation Council (2020 and 2021) combined with venture funding from Sofimac Innovation, The Faktory Fund, and Deeptech Labs. The cadence of funding rounds and the recurring EIC participation signal sustained public-sector validation of the technology, while the substantial drop in round size in 2022 (~$420K from Deeptech Labs versus ~$2.3-2.9M in prior rounds) suggests either a deliberate pivot toward capital efficiency or reduced investor appetite. No revenue figures, pricing model, distribution channels, or named customers were disclosed in the available data.

The leadership team is structured around co-founders Vincent Mouret and Ambroise Popper serving as co-CEOs alongside Rabih Chrabieh as Founder, CTO, and co-founder. The dual-CEO arrangement is unusual for a sub-50-person company and may reflect a founder transition or a deliberate split between technical and commercial leadership. The combination of a multi-year operating history with a small headcount, modest cumulative funding, absence of disclosed revenue, and no visible post-2022 activity suggests a niche, pre-scale commercial stage rather than active hyper-growth.

Name

Nestwave

Legal name

NextNav

Website

https://nestwave.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nestwave is a Paris-based IoT geolocation technology provider founded in 2014, developing positioning solutions for connected devices. The privately held company has raised approximately $7.9 million from European public grants and French/European venture investors across four rounds.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

IoT Geolocation

NAICS

Wired and Wireless Telecommunications (except Satellite) (5171)

SIC

Radiotelephone Communications (4812)

akta.pro primary industry

Satellite IoT & Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Connectivity (LPWAN over Satellite) (HDAIAJAF)

Keywords

• IoT geolocation solutions
• Low-power positioning
• GPS chipset technology
• Device tracking services
• Indoor outdoor positioning

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Nestwave is a provider of advanced geolocation solutions for the IoT market. The company develops positioning technology that enables connected devices to determine their location with a focus on the power, cost, and footprint constraints typical of Internet of Things applications.

Product overview

NextNav offers a unified platform of 3D Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) solutions. The product portfolio includes NextNav Pinnacle (vertical location/z-axis positioning), NextNav TerraPoiNT (resilient PNT for critical infrastructure), NextNav 3D (3D location visualization), and the Next Generation 3D PNT solution (5G-powered terrestrial PNT using licensed low-band spectrum). These products work together to provide comprehensive 3D geolocation services as a complement and backup to GPS, serving industries including telecom (E911), public safety, critical infrastructure, location apps, and WiFi 6E/7.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NextNav Pinnacle: Accurate vertical location product for z-axis positioning.
• NextNav 3D
• TerraPoiNT
• NextNav TerraPoiNT

Products and services

• IoT Geolocation Solutions Advanced geolocation technology for Internet of Things devices, providing positioning capabilities for asset tracking, device location, and location-aware connected applications. Targeted at IoT device manufacturers and integrators building connected products.

Quantifiable outcome

• Accurate 3D location including vertical z-axis positioning
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Trimble: Established positioning and GNSS technology supplier across construction, agriculture, and logistics. Comparable as a broader incumbent with overlapping geolocation capabilities for industrial IoT.
• HERE Technologies: Major location-services platform offering cellular and Wi-Fi positioning APIs alongside maps and fleet services. Comparable as an established alternative positioning data source for IoT and enterprise applications.
• Mapbox: Location platform with cellular and IP-based positioning services embedded in its SDKs. Comparable as an alternative provider of network-derived geolocation for connected applications.

Direct peers

• Combain Mobile: Swedish provider of cellular-based positioning APIs for IoT and asset tracking. Closely comparable in using cell-tower signals as a low-power alternative to GNSS for IoT use cases.
• u-blox: Swiss provider of GNSS chips and modules with a strong IoT/asset-tracking focus. Directly comparable as a positioning-technology supplier serving IoT device OEMs with similar end customers.
• Skyhook Wireless: Hybrid positioning provider combining Wi-Fi, cellular, and GNSS signals for IoT and consumer devices. Closely comparable to Nestwave's cellular-signal-based positioning approach.
• Polaris Wireless: Specialist in location determination using wireless network signals, with strong presence in public-safety E911. Comparable technology approach (network-based rather than satellite-based positioning).

Emerging players

• Nordic Semiconductor: Low-power cellular IoT silicon vendor whose nRF9160 modules integrate location features. Comparable as an adjacent deep-tech player whose silicon competes with Nestwave's software positioning approach for power-constrained IoT designs.

Others

• Quectel: Leading IoT module vendor whose cellular modules host geolocation software like Nestwave's. Comparable as a potential customer/channel partner rather than a competitor.
• Sierra Wireless (Semtech): IoT module and connectivity provider (now part of Semtech). Comparable as a likely integration partner for Nestwave's geolocation IP into LPWAN and cellular IoT endpoints.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights4 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Nestwave1

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors4 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 Nestwave