Flowminder
Flowminder Foundation is a Sweden-based non-profit that turns pseudonymised mobile operator CDR data, satellite imagery, and survey data into population mobility and distribution analytics for governments, health ministries, NGOs, and humanitarian partners across nine-plus countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersStockholm, Sweden
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Flowminder does
Flowminder Foundation (Stiftelsen Flowminder) is a Sweden-registered non-profit foundation founded in 2011 that produces population distribution and mobility analytics for humanitarian and development use cases. The organisation processes de-identified Call Detail Records (CDR) sourced through partnerships with mobile network operators, combined with satellite imagery, household surveys, and microcensus data, to generate dynamic population estimates at sub-national granularity. Its proprietary FlowKit platform handles privacy-secure aggregation of CDR behind operator firewalls, producing only aggregated outputs that comply with GDPR.
Flowminder's product surface includes country-specific data platforms (notably the Haiti Mobility Data Platform, with monthly estimates at the communal-section level), Population Distribution and Mobility Analysis services, Service Site Placement Optimisation (for immunisation sites, schools, healthcare facilities), Mobile Data Partnerships (under which FlowKit sits), and Capacity Strengthening programmes anchored by the GRID3 learning management system (learn.grid3.org). Deliverables include health zone-level monthly reports across all 26 provinces of DRC and quarterly national synthesis reports. Named operational examples include COVID-19 vaccination site placement in Nigeria with US CDC, monthly EPI vaccination microplanning in DRC, and integration of mobile operator data into Ghana's official statistics pipeline.
Commercially, Flowminder operates as a non-profit funded primarily through grants and project-based contracts from institutional donors including the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Gavi (via the Equity Accelerator Fund), UK FCDO, Inter-American Development Bank, King Baudouin Foundation, and Haiti's FAES. Customers are governments, statistical offices, health ministries, and humanitarian/development NGOs; implementation partners include IOM, CIESIN/Columbia, and EPI DRC. Analytical capacity resides primarily in Stockholm and Southampton, with global delivery through MNO and government partnerships.
Flowminder firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Flowminder
- Legal name
- Stiftelsen Flowminder
- Website
- https://flowminder.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Flowminder Foundation is a Sweden-based non-profit that turns pseudonymised mobile operator CDR data, satellite imagery, and survey data into population mobility and distribution analytics for governments, health ministries, NGOs, and humanitarian partners across nine-plus countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Flowminder industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Humanitarian Geospatial Analytics
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Health Data, Vital Statistics & Population Health Informatics (BPAIAJAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Environmental Data Management Platforms (EHS/EMS, LIMS, ELN, Compliance Data Hubs) (EUAHAKAA)
Keywords
Where Flowminder is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Stockholm
- HQ country
- Sweden
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Flowminder business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations
Revenue model
- Grant Funding & Project-Based Work: Flowminder is a non-profit foundation that operates primarily through grant funding from development partners, governments, and international organisations. The organisation produces mobility analyses for development and humanitarian purposes rather than commercial products.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Flowminder product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Flowminder provides population mobility and distribution analysis using de-identified mobile operator Call Detail Records (CDR), satellite imagery, and household survey data, delivered through the FlowKit privacy-secure processing platform and the Haiti Mobility Data Platform. Its offerings include Population Distribution and Mobility Analysis services, Service Site Placement Optimisation (for immunisation, education, and healthcare sites), Mobile Data Partnerships with telecom operators, and Capacity Strengthening (technical training and the GRID3 online learning management system). Outputs are produced as monthly reports, national synthesis reports, and web-platform data products serving governments, NGOs, and public health organisations in development and humanitarian contexts.
Product overview
Flowminder is a non-profit foundation that provides a portfolio of analytical products and services centered on population distribution and mobility analysis using mobile operator data. The core offering consists of Population Distribution and Mobility Analysis services, Service Site Placement Optimisation, Mobile Data Partnerships (including FlowKit), and Capacity Strengthening programmes. The company operates proprietary data platforms including the Haiti Mobility Data Platform and produces health zone-level monthly reports and national synthesis reports. The product architecture combines de-identified CDR data from mobile network operators with survey data, satellite imagery, and microcensus data to generate privacy-secure population estimates. Flowminder's solutions are delivered as ongoing analytical services and web-based platforms to approved government agencies, NGOs, and development partners.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- FlowKit: A tool for processing and analyzing mobile operator data securely
- FlowGeek
- Haiti Mobility Data Platform
Products and services
- Haiti Mobility Data Platform Privacy-secure web platform providing monthly mobility and population distribution estimates at the communal section level for Haiti, based on pseudonymised CDR data from Digicel Haiti combined with survey and microcensus data. Accessible to approved third parties via registration and account approval.
- Population Distribution and Mobility Analysis Core analytical service providing countries with understanding of population mobility and distribution at local, regional or national levels. Uses de-identified mobile operator data, satellite data, and household survey data to support climate adaptation, disaster management, public health, official statistics, and development interventions.
- Service Site Placement Optimisation Analytical service that informs strategic planning for resource allocations and improved population coverage by identifying optimal locations for public services such as immunisation sites, schools, and healthcare facilities based on population distribution and mobility patterns.
- FlowKit Privacy-secure data processing platform used within Mobile Data Partnerships to aggregate and process CDR data from mobile network operators, generating mobility statistics while protecting subscriber privacy. Deployed on servers behind operator firewalls.
- Mobile Data Partnerships Programme establishing public-private data partnerships with mobile network operators to access CDR data for humanitarian and development purposes, including FlowKit deployment, the Mobile Resilience Initiative, and approaches to opening data access.
- GRID3 Online Learning Management System Online learning platform (learn.grid3.org) providing technical training, workshops, and educational resources on GIS, mobility data, and geospatial analysis to support capacity strengthening in developing countries under the GRID3 programme.
- Capacity Strengthening Programme that strengthens capacities in the use of mobility and geospatial data for decision making through technical training, workshops, and online learning platforms, delivered as part of development and humanitarian engagements.
- DRC Population Distribution and Mobility Data Monthly population estimates and mobility data products for the Democratic Republic of Congo, providing health zone-level mobility reports for all 26 provinces since 2020.
Quantifiable outcome
- Produced population mobility estimates for Haiti covering January 2020 to present, with country population calibrated to IHSI 2020 data (11,743,017 total)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Flowminder
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Flowminder technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature4 records
Flowminder partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and secondary.
- Vodacom Congo (RDC)coreSince 2018, Vodacom Congo has provided Flowminder with pseudonymised CDR data to support development and humanitarian analyses in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The partnership has enabled COVID-19 response analysis, Ebola outbreak support, volcano eruption displacement tracking, and vaccination planning. Data is processed on servers installed behind the operator's firewall.
- Digicel HaiticoreDigicel Haiti provides anonymised mobile phone usage data aggregated by Flowminder via FlowKit to provide population mobility statistics. This partnership supports the Haiti Mobility Data Platform providing estimates across Haitian communal sections.
- Telecel Ghana (formerly Vodafone Ghana)corePartnership to integrate mobile operator data into official statistics in Ghana, supporting the Ghana Statistical Service in achieving SDG data goals.
- GRID3 ProgrammecoreFlowminder was the lead partner for coordination of all capacity strengthening activities under the GRID3 programme. The organisation developed learn.grid3.org, an online Learning Management System, and provided technical training on GIS and data use.
- International Organization for Migration (IOM)majorIOM works with Flowminder and Vodacom DRC to support EPI vaccination planning. IOM serves as the implementing partner for Gavi-funded activities under the Equity Accelerator Fund in DRC.
- Telenor PakistansecondaryMobile network operator partnership in Pakistan for population mobility analysis and development applications.
- IPKO KosovosecondaryMobile network operator partnership in Kosovo for population mobility analysis.
- Africell RDCsecondaryMobile network operator partnership in the Democratic Republic of Congo for data analytics support.
- Africell Sierra LeonesecondaryMobile network operator partnership in Sierra Leone for data analytics support.
- MTC NamibiasecondaryMobile network operator partnership in Namibia for data analytics support.
- Digicel CuraçaosecondaryMobile network operator partnership in Curaçao for data analytics support.
- Flow-UTS CuraçaosecondaryMobile network operator partnership in Curaçao for data analytics support.
- Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) DRCcoreTechnical partnership with DRC's Ministry of Health EPI providing dynamic population estimates that account for internal mobility and natural population growth, supporting vaccination microplanning and intervention delivery.
- Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) at Columbia UniversitymajorCo-implementer of the GRID3 Mapping for Health project in DRC alongside Flowminder.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Flowminder competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Premise Data: Ground-truth data company using a crowdsourced contributor network to provide development, humanitarian, and supply-chain analytics. Partial overlap with Flowminder in providing alternative data for development decision-making in low- and middle-income countries.
- DataKind: Non-profit applying data science and AI to humanitarian and development challenges through volunteer-driven projects. Comparable mission and target end users, though with a service-delivery model rather than proprietary data platforms.
- ORB Intelligence (formerly Mastercard Labs for International Development): Predictive analytics for development and humanitarian use cases, originally built on anonymized transaction data. Comparable in applying alternative/transactional data to inform humanitarian planning, with overlap in development-sector buyer base.
Direct peers
- WorldPop (University of Southampton): Academic research group producing high-resolution population distribution and mobility estimates using censuses, surveys, satellite, and mobile phone data. Direct peer in CDR-based population mapping methodology and humanitarian application focus.
- Development Seed: Data and engineering organization working on geospatial and Earth observation solutions for humanitarian, development, and climate use cases. Comparable in applying satellite, survey, and alternative data to global development programs.
- Fraym: Geospatial data and analytics company producing population and development indicators for governments, NGOs, and the private sector. Directly comparable to Flowminder in using alternative data sources to inform development and humanitarian decisions across Sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.
- Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT): Non-profit applying open mapping and geospatial data to humanitarian response and disaster preparedness. Comparable in mobilizing alternative and volunteered data sources for humanitarian decision-making, including capacity strengthening in low-income countries.
Broad incumbents
- Palantir Technologies (Government / Humanitarian division): Large enterprise data platform with established humanitarian and government deployments, including disaster response analytics. Comparable in serving government and humanitarian decision-makers with data integration, though at vastly larger scale and broader scope.
- UN Global Pulse: UN Secretary-General's initiative applying real-time digital data (including CDR analytics) to humanitarian and development challenges. Comparable mission and data-for-good use cases, with broader institutional mandate and funding.
- Meta Data for Good: Meta's program sharing aggregated mobility, population density, and disaster-response datasets derived from platform data. Overlaps with Flowminder's mobility analytics use cases but operates at much larger scale as a free, broad-incumbent data source for humanitarian partners.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Flowminder social profiles
Digital presenceFlowminder compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Flowminder financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Flowminder leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Flowminder subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Flowminder funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Flowminder M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Flowminder
What does Flowminder do?
Flowminder provides population mobility and distribution analysis using de-identified mobile operator Call Detail Records (CDR), satellite imagery, and household survey data, delivered through the FlowKit privacy-secure processing platform and the Haiti Mobility Data Platform. Its offerings include Population Distribution and Mobility Analysis services, Service Site Placement Optimisation (for immunisation, education, and healthcare sites), Mobile Data Partnerships with telecom operators, and Capacity Strengthening (technical training and the GRID3 online learning management system). Outputs are produced as monthly reports, national synthesis reports, and web-platform data products serving governments, NGOs, and public health organisations in development and humanitarian contexts.
When was Flowminder founded?
Flowminder was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Flowminder based?
Flowminder is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, in the Europe region.
How does Flowminder make money?
One revenue line is on record: grant Funding & Project-Based Work.
Who are Flowminder's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Premise Data, DataKind and ORB Intelligence (formerly Mastercard Labs for International Development). Direct peers are WorldPop (University of Southampton), Development Seed, Fraym and Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT). Broad incumbents are Palantir Technologies (Government / Humanitarian division), UN Global Pulse and Meta Data for Good.
Does Flowminder have an API?
No public API is recorded for Flowminder.
What industry is Flowminder in?
Flowminder's product category is Humanitarian Geospatial Analytics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIAJAM, Health Data, Vital Statistics & Population Health Informatics, with a secondary code of EUAHAKAA, Environmental Data Management Platforms (EHS/EMS, LIMS, ELN, Compliance Data Hubs). Its NAICS code is 5182 and its SIC code is 7370.