HERE Technologies

What does HERE Technologies own?
HERE Technologies owns the HERE WeGo consumer navigation app and several B2B location technology products including HERE Unimaps, HERE HD Live Map, HERE Traffic, HERE Positioning, and HERE LiveSense. The company also owns its proprietary mapping database, which covers approximately 200 countries and has been built over 40 years of data collection.

Is HERE Technologies publicly traded?
No, HERE Technologies is not publicly traded. The company is privately held and controlled by a consortium of automotive manufacturers and technology companies including Volkswagen Group (through Audi), BMW, Mercedes-Benz Group, Intel, Mitsubishi Corporation, NTT, and Continental AG.

Who founded HERE Technologies?
HERE Technologies traces its origins to 1985, when Karlin & Collins, Inc. was founded in Chicago, Illinois. The company was later restructured as Navigation Technologies Corporation (Navteq). The current entity, HERE Technologies, was formed in 2012 under Nokia's ownership, combining Navteq's map data with Nokia's mapping applications.

Where is HERE Technologies headquartered?
HERE Technologies is headquartered in Eindhoven, Netherlands. The company has major operations in Chicago (United States), Berlin (Germany), Mumbai (India), and Tokyo (Japan), with approximately 9,000 employees worldwide.

How many brands does HERE Technologies own?
HERE Technologies owns one consumer brand (HERE WeGo) and several B2B products (HERE Unimaps, HERE HD Live Map, HERE Traffic, HERE Positioning, HERE LiveSense). The company's portfolio is focused on mapping technology rather than a broad range of consumer brands.

Who owns HERE Technologies?
HERE Technologies is owned by a consortium of companies. The original 2015 acquisition consortium consisted of Audi (Volkswagen Group), BMW, and Daimler AG (now Mercedes-Benz Group), who purchased HERE from Nokia for EUR 2.8 billion. Intel joined in 2017, Mitsubishi Corporation and NTT joined in 2019, and Continental AG also joined as a shareholder. Exact ownership percentages are not publicly disclosed.

What is HERE Technologies' revenue?
HERE Technologies does not publicly disclose financial results because it is privately held. Industry estimates place annual revenue in the range of $1.5 to $2 billion, derived primarily from automotive contracts, enterprise location intelligence, and developer APIs. The EUR 2.8 billion acquisition price in 2015 provides a reference point for the company's value.

HERE Technologies traces its origins to 1985, when Karlin & Collins, Inc. was founded in Chicago, Illinois. The company was established to build digital map databases for automotive navigation systems. In 1987, the company was restructured as Navigation Technologies Corporation, which was later shortened to Navteq.

Navteq built its business by creating the first comprehensive digital road network databases. In the 1990s, Navteq became one of the two dominant global map data providers, alongside Tele Atlas (a Belgian company later acquired by TomTom). Navteq's map data powered the first generation of in-car navigation systems from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and other European automakers.

In October 2007, Nokia acquired Navteq for $8.1 billion. At the time, Nokia was the world's largest mobile phone manufacturer and was investing heavily in location-based services. The acquisition was part of Nokia's strategy to integrate mapping and navigation into its mobile devices. Nokia ran Navteq's business alongside its own Nokia Maps, which had launched in 2006 as Ovi Maps.

In 2011, Nokia amalgamated Navteq into its core operations as part of its Location & Commerce unit. The service was rebranded as HERE in 2012, bringing together Navteq's map data infrastructure with Nokia's consumer mapping applications. The HERE Maps consumer app was launched on Nokia Lumia Windows Phone devices, providing turn-by-turn navigation, offline maps, and transit directions.

When Nokia sold its devices and services business to Microsoft in 2014, HERE remained with Nokia as part of the HERE division. Nokia began seeking a buyer for HERE, attracting interest from multiple parties including Uber, Baidu, and a consortium of German automakers.

On August 3, 2015, Nokia agreed to sell HERE to a consortium of German automotive manufacturers consisting of Audi (a Volkswagen Group subsidiary), BMW, and Daimler AG (now Mercedes-Benz Group). The acquisition was completed on December 4, 2015, for EUR 2.8 billion (approximately $2.9 billion). The consortium beat out competing bids from technology companies, reflecting the strategic importance of mapping data to the automotive industry.

Intel joined the ownership consortium in 2017, investing in HERE to support the development of autonomous driving technology and high-definition maps. In 2019, Mitsubishi Corporation and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) joined as investors, expanding the consortium's geographic reach into Japan. Continental AG, the German automotive supplier, also joined as a shareholder.

Following the acquisition, HERE invested heavily in developing high-definition (HD) maps for autonomous vehicles. These maps provide the centimeter-level accuracy required for self-driving cars, including lane-level detail, traffic sign recognition, and road geometry. HERE's HD Live Map became a key product for automotive manufacturers developing autonomous driving systems.

In 2016, the HERE Maps consumer app was rebranded as HERE WeGo, reflecting a renewed focus on the consumer navigation market. HERE WeGo launched on iOS and Android, bringing the app beyond its Windows Phone origins. The app differentiated itself through strong public transit integration, offline navigation, and multi-modal routing.

In 2022, HERE introduced its Unimaps platform, which unifies map data from multiple sources into a single, consistent global map. The company also launched HERE LiveSense, an AI-powered sensor data processing system that uses real-time data from connected vehicles to detect traffic conditions and road hazards.

In 2024 and 2025, HERE continued to invest in its consumer app while focusing primarily on its B2B automotive and enterprise business. The company added electric vehicle routing to HERE WeGo, improved lane guidance and junction views, and expanded its real-time traffic capabilities. HERE also deepened its partnerships with cloud providers, providing mapping services through Microsoft Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud Platform.

As of 2026, HERE Technologies operates from its headquarters in Eindhoven with approximately 9,000 employees. The company provides mapping services to automotive manufacturers, enterprise clients including Microsoft and Meta Platforms, and consumers through the HERE WeGo app.

HERE Technologies does not publish detailed sustainability reports comparable to publicly traded companies. The company's primary environmental impact comes from its mapping vehicle fleet and data processing infrastructure.

HERE has not made public net-zero or carbon neutrality commitments with specific target years. The company does not have B Corp certification. Its sustainabilityFlags are empty because there are no independently verifiable certifications to report.

The company's main ethical consideration relates to data privacy. HERE collects probe data from connected vehicles and mobile devices to improve its mapping services. The company states that it anonymizes this data and complies with GDPR and other privacy regulations. HERE's automotive consortium ownership means its data practices are subject to scrutiny by its automaker owners, who have their own privacy obligations to vehicle owners.

HERE's privacy posture is generally considered stronger than Google Maps or Waze because HERE does not use mapping data for advertising. The company's revenue model is B2B, not ad-supported, which reduces incentives for extensive user data collection.

HERE Technologies has maintained a relatively clean public record. The company has not faced major antitrust investigations, regulatory fines, or significant public controversies.

The 2015 acquisition by the German automotive consortium was reviewed by antitrust regulators in the European Union and the United States. The acquisition was approved without significant conditions, as the consortium ownership was not deemed to create a competitive imbalance in the mapping market.

Some industry observers have raised questions about whether HERE's automotive consortium ownership creates conflicts of interest, since the company's owners are also its largest customers. However, no regulatory action has been taken on this issue, and HERE maintains that it operates independently with its own management team and product roadmap.

The company has not faced significant privacy controversies. HERE's data collection practices are generally considered less invasive than those of advertising-supported mapping services, as the company does not collect data for ad targeting.