What Wavteq does

Wavteq is a global strategy and consulting firm headquartered in Belfast, United Kingdom, founded in 2010, operating in association with FT Locations — a Financial Times Group subsidiary that provides premium subscription-based foreign direct investment (FDI) intelligence products and consulting services to governments and public sector institutions worldwide.

The company's product portfolio comprises twelve-plus integrated solutions organized into five focus areas: data and analysis (fDi Markets, fDi Benchmark, IncentivesFlow, InvestmentFlow), marketing and attraction (ZoomProspector, InvestmentMap, ZoomTour, advertising/sponsorship), strategy and consulting (fDi Strategies), business development (Amplify, fDi Influencers, events), and professional development (fDi Institute, Knowledge Hub). Underlying technology centers on GIS mapping, longitudinal databases tracking more than £14 trillion in greenfield FDI since 2003, and incentive-policy tracking systems. Wavteq's flagship fDi Markets database tracks thousands of global businesses in real time, while ZoomProspector provides embeddable GIS site-selection tools. fDi Benchmark (formerly GIS Planning) compares costs and qualities of investment destinations.

The business model combines premium enterprise subscriptions (recurring B2B revenue), professional services consulting, advertising/sponsorship within fDi Intelligence, and certified e-learning through fDi Institute. Pricing is quote-based with a "Request a demo" sales motion across all product pages, supported by dedicated customer success managers. The primary customer segment is investment promotion agencies (IPAs) and economic development organizations — predominantly government entities — with secondary segments comprising corporates, advisory consultants, and academic researchers. Geographic reach is global with stated operations spanning G76+ markets; the company has dual-hub exposure in the UK and Canada via InvestmentFlow. The firm is backed by The Financial Times Ltd (Nikkei-owned), with leadership including CEO Henry Loewendahl, President Guillermo Mazier, and co-founders Robert Pasley, Chris Knight, and Robert Pender.

Name

Wavteq

Legal name

The Financial Times Ltd

Website

https://wavteq.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Wavteq operates in association with FT Locations, a Financial Times Group subsidiary offering premium subscription-based FDI intelligence products, GIS mapping tools, and consulting services to investment promotion agencies and economic development organizations worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

FDI Intelligence and Investment Promotion Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (51321), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (51821)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Data, Analytics & AI Consulting (BPAHAEAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Marketing Database & Contact Data Providers (B2B/B2C Lists) (BPAFAKAF)

Keywords

• FDI intelligence
• Economic development data
• Investment promotion software
• Location analysis platforms
• FDI consulting services

Headquarters

HQ city

Belfast

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Premium Subscription Products: Collection of premium subscription products including fDi Markets, fDi Benchmark, IncentivesFlow, InvestmentFlow, ZoomProspector, InvestmentMap, ZoomTour, Amplify, fDi Influencers, and fDi Institute. Products organized into data and analysis, marketing and attraction, strategy and consulting, and business development categories.
2. Professional Development Services: fDi Institute provides certified professional development through e-learning platform with globally recognized credentials.
3. Consulting Services: Strategy and consulting services for FDI attraction and facilitation.
4. Advertising and Sponsorship: Advertising and sponsorship opportunities to promote organizations or locations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Wavteq, operating under the FT Locations and fDi Intelligence brands, sells subscription data platforms (fDi Markets, fDi Benchmark, ZoomProspector, InvestmentMap), GIS-based location intelligence tools, and a CRM (InvestmentFlow) that help investment promotion agencies, economic development organizations, and corporates track, attract, and manage foreign and domestic direct investment globally. The company also delivers custom strategy consulting, training, and digital marketing services (Amplify, fDi Strategies, ZoomTour) that complement its software portfolio.

Product overview

FT Locations offers a portfolio of premium subscription products for foreign and domestic direct investment (FDI). The platform provides data and analysis tools (fDi Markets, fDi Benchmark, IncentivesFlow, InvestmentFlow), marketing and attraction solutions (ZoomProspector, InvestmentMap, ZoomTour), strategy and consulting services (fDi Strategies), and business development tools (Amplify, fDi Influencers, Events and Roundtables). Professional development is delivered through fDi Institute and its training workshops. The Knowledge Hub provides supplementary reports, webinars, and blogs. These products work together to help organisations analyse, attract, and manage corporate investment globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• fDi Markets: The leading online database tracking greenfield FDI in real-time across all markets and sectors globally since 2003
• fDi Benchmark
• IncentivesFlow
• InvestmentFlow
• ZoomProspector
• InvestmentMap
• ZoomTour
• Amplify
• fDi Institute
• fDi Strategies
• fDi Influencers
• fDi Intelligence
• Knowledge Hub

Products and services

• fDi Markets
• fDi Benchmark
• InvestmentMap
• ZoomProspector
• InvestmentFlow CRM and lead management platform purpose-built for Investment Promotion Agencies to capture, track, and convert investor inquiries into FDI projects.
• IncentivesFlow Database and matching platform for investment incentives, helping IPAs and corporates identify, compare, and structure incentive offers.
• Amplify Digital marketing campaign platform for IPAs and economic development organizations to promote locations and run targeted investor outreach.
• ZoomTour Virtual site visit and digital showcase platform that lets IPAs present locations, sites, and buildings to prospective investors remotely.
• fDi Institute Training and professional development program for IPA and economic development staff, delivered as paid courses, certifications, and learning memberships.
• fDi Strategies Bespoke strategy consulting service that helps IPAs, regions, and cities develop FDI strategies, conduct benchmarking studies, and design investment attraction programs.
• fDi Influencers Database of corporate decision-makers and location influencers that IPAs and corporates use to identify and target key investment stakeholders.

Quantifiable outcome

• Customers report the tools enable engagement with investors on a higher level and provide value propositions to impress companies

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Financial TimescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFT Locations is part of the Financial Times Group, operating under the FT's brand values of ambition, curiosity, integrity, inclusion, trust, and subscriber focus. The company uses FT branding and is backed by the Financial Times reputation and infrastructure.
• NikkeiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNikkei, a Japanese media company, owns the Financial Times, providing corporate parentage and broader media ecosystem affiliation.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Site Selection Magazine (Conway Data): Long-running FDI and corporate site selection intelligence publication and database. Directly comparable because it serves the same investment promotion and corporate site selection audience with curated data, rankings, and analysis.
• Investment Monitor: Specialist FDI intelligence publication covering cross-border investment deals, trends, and policy. Closely comparable to fDi Intelligence and fDi Markets as a subscription data and analysis product for IPAs, corporates, and advisors.
• Site Selection Group: Economic development and site selection consulting firm advising corporate end-users and economic development organisations. Comparable to fDi Strategies on the consulting side and overlaps with the benchmarking/marketing layer on the data side.

Emerging players

• CrossBorder Capital: Independent research firm tracking cross-border capital flows and FDI macro data. Comparable as a specialist FDI data provider, though smaller and more research-oriented than Wavteq's full-stack subscription suite.

Broad incumbents

• EY FDI Attractiveness: EY's annual FDI Attractiveness Survey and advisory practice serves the same IPA and government buyer audience. Comparable as a Big 4 incumbent bundling FDI intelligence into broader consulting mandates, putting pressure on standalone subscription pricing.
• KPMG FDI and Location Strategy: KPMG advises governments and IPAs on investment promotion and publishes FDI insights. Comparable as a broader incumbent with deeper pockets and ability to bundle intelligence into advisory work.
• Deloitte Location Investment Services: Deloitte's location investment and economic development advisory practice competes with fDi Strategies for government mandates, while its research reports overlap with Wavteq's content.
• CBRE Location Intelligence: Global commercial real estate services firm producing location and market intelligence that competes with fDi Benchmark and InvestmentMap for corporate site selection and IPA use cases, typically bundled with brokerage mandates.
• JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle): Global CRE and real estate services firm with extensive location analytics and incentives advisory. Comparable as a broad incumbent producing location intelligence that overlaps with Wavteq's GIS and benchmarking products.
• Cushman & Wakefield: Global real estate services firm publishing location, market, and incentives intelligence for corporate occupiers and economic development clients. Comparable to Wavteq's marketing/attraction and benchmarking offerings from a global incumbent angle.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WAVTEQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ftlocations

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Wavteq