Unacast
Unacast, headquartered in Ashburn, Virginia, was founded in 2015 by Thomas Walle and moved its headquarters from Norway to the U.S.
Profile
Unacast sells foot traffic and location data from mobile devices to help businesses understand where people go and how they move.
Unacast, headquartered in Ashburn, Virginia, was founded in 2015 by Thomas Walle and moved its headquarters from Norway to the U.S. early on to target the American market. The company provides location intelligence derived from mobile device signals, offering foot traffic data, location analytics, and a location insights platform. In late 2023, Unacast merged with Gravy Analytics, creating what the company describes as one of the world's most comprehensive location intelligence platforms.
As of December 2025, Unacast reports strong double-digit growth, EBITDA-positive operations, and claims to observe over 1 billion monthly devices. The company secured $28 million in new financing from Vector Capital's direct credit strategy, Vector Velocity, in December 2025, following a $17.5 million Series B round in 2018 led by White Star Capital with participation from Telia, Open Ocean Capital, and Investinor. Unacast's products include raw location data, aggregated foot traffic data, a location insights platform with AI-powered analytics, and a telco data processing service that transforms first-party location data into mobility insights.
Customers span advertising and marketing, site selection, competitive intelligence, and product development. Notable clients include Google, Firefly Advertising, BCG, Harvard University, and LiveRamp, as well as Amobee, Blis, SITO Mobile, Cognitiv, Qualia, and TVadSync. The company also serves hedge funds that use foot traffic data to estimate quarterly revenue ahead of earnings reports.
Unacast's data has been used to analyze foot traffic correlation with revenue for brands like Best Buy, AMC Entertainment, Marriott International, Hyatt Hotels, and IKEA. The company operates in a competitive landscape dominated by Google and Facebook's proprietary location data, and faces ongoing scrutiny over privacy practices in the location data industry.
Products by Unacast
Who buys this
- Advertising and marketing agencies using location data for audience targeting and offline attribution
- Real estate and retail companies analyzing foot traffic for site selection and performance
- Financial analysts and hedge funds using foot traffic as a leading indicator for quarterly revenue
- Government and public sector organizations studying population movement and community trends
- Telecommunications companies processing raw location data into mobility insights
Publicly disclosed clients
- Firefly Advertising
- BCG
- Harvard University
- LiveRamp
- Amobee
- Blis
- SITO Mobile
- Cognitiv
- Qualia
- TVadSync
Strengths and what to watch
Strengths
- Claims to observe over 1 billion monthly devices globally, providing a large-scale data foundation for foot traffic analytics.
- Achieved EBITDA-positive operations and strong double-digit growth following the 2023 merger with Gravy Analytics, indicating financial discipline.
- Secured $28 million in financing from Vector Capital in December 2025, providing capital for product development, go-to-market expansion, and strategic M&A.
Watch for
- The location data industry faces ongoing privacy and regulatory scrutiny, which could impact Unacast's data sourcing and compliance costs.
- The 2023 merger with Gravy Analytics may present integration risks, including technology stack consolidation and potential cultural clashes.
- Reliance on a concentrated customer base in advertising and marketing makes revenue sensitive to shifts in ad spending or privacy changes by mobile OS providers like Apple and Google.
Recent moves
Key Information
- Industry
- Location Intelligence
- Founded
- 2015
- Headquarters
- Ashburn, Virginia
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Unacast do?
Unacast sells foot traffic and location data from mobile devices to help businesses understand where people go and how they move. It offers raw location data, aggregated foot traffic analytics, and an AI-powered insights platform for advertising, site selection, and competitive intelligence.
Who are Unacast's main customers?
Unacast serves advertising agencies, real estate firms, hedge funds, and government organizations. Notable clients include Google, BCG, Harvard University, and LiveRamp. Hedge funds use its foot traffic data to estimate quarterly revenue ahead of earnings reports for brands like Best Buy and Marriott.
How does Unacast collect its location data?
Unacast collects location data from mobile device signals, observing over 1 billion monthly devices globally. It also offers a telco data processing service that transforms first-party location data into mobility insights for telecommunications companies.
What happened with Unacast's merger with Gravy Analytics?
In late 2023, Unacast merged with Gravy Analytics, creating what the company describes as one of the world's most comprehensive location intelligence platforms. Following the merger, Unacast achieved EBITDA-positive operations and strong double-digit growth as of December 2025.
What recent financing did Unacast secure?
In December 2025, Unacast secured $28 million in new financing from Vector Capital's direct credit strategy, Vector Velocity. The company plans to use the capital for product development, go-to-market expansion, and strategic M&A.
What privacy concerns are associated with Unacast's location data?
The location data industry faces ongoing privacy and regulatory scrutiny, which could impact Unacast's data sourcing and compliance costs. Changes by mobile OS providers like Apple and Google also pose risks to data collection and customer demand.
Sources
- www.unacast.com — Company product descriptions, customer logos, and claim of 1 billion monthly devices
- www.unacast.com — $28 million financing from Vector Capital in December 2025, merger with Gravy Analytics, EBITDA-positive, double-digit growth
- techcrunch.com — $17.5 million Series B round in 2018, investors, early clients including Amobee, Blis, SITO Mobile, Cognitiv, Qualia, TVadSync, and hedge fund use case
- www.unacast.com — Foot traffic correlation analysis for Best Buy, AMC Entertainment, Marriott International, Hyatt Hotels, IKEA
- www.unacast.com — Customer case studies and client logos including Google, Firefly Advertising, BCG, Harvard University, LiveRamp