MapAnything

# MapAnything: A Location Intelligence Pioneer

High-Level Overview

MapAnything is a software company specializing in location-based intelligence and geo-analytics solutions that enhance field sales and service productivity.[1] Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the company built a suite of mapping and geographic analytics tools designed to help enterprises harness location data for business planning and field worker optimization.[4] The platform integrates with Salesforce and ServiceNow, enabling sales teams, field service representatives, and fleet managers to visualize customer data, optimize routes, manage territories, and improve operational efficiency. MapAnything served over 2,100 customers worldwide before its acquisition by Salesforce in April 2019, when it was rebranded as Salesforce Maps.[2][5]

The company's growth trajectory was remarkable: co-founders John Stewart and Ben Brantly grew MapAnything from a bootstrapped startup to a revenue-generating business that ranked #227 on the Inc. 500 list (and #15 among software companies) within two years of securing strategic financing.[6] By the time of acquisition, MapAnything had raised $88.9 million in total funding and employed over 160 people, serving enterprise clients including Fortune 500 companies like Time Warner and First Data.[2][4][6]

Origin Story

MapAnything was founded in 2009 by John Stewart and Ben Brantly, who recognized the untapped potential of embedding location intelligence into business workflows.[6] The company initially operated as a bootstrapped venture, with the founders reluctant to surrender significant equity to traditional venture capital. In 2012, facing a critical growth inflection point, they needed $600,000 in capital but discovered that conventional financing would require surrendering 35-40% ownership.[6] This challenge led them to pursue revenue-based financing through Lighter Capital, a decision that preserved founder equity while accelerating growth.

The pivotal moment came when MapAnything secured a $7.3 million Series A in December 2015 and a $33.1 million Series B in February 2017—both achieved without the founders sacrificing significant ownership stakes.[6] This capital enabled rapid product expansion and market penetration. The company's trajectory culminated in its acquisition by Salesforce in April 2019, validating the core thesis that location intelligence was essential infrastructure for enterprise sales and service organizations.[2][5]

Core Differentiators

• Deep Salesforce Integration: MapAnything was purpose-built as a Salesforce AppExchange partner, embedding location capabilities directly into the CRM workflow rather than operating as a standalone tool.[3][5] This tight integration meant customers could access mapping and routing without context-switching.

• "Telematics 2.0" Approach: Rather than selling devices and data plans like traditional telematics vendors, MapAnything embedded real-time vehicle and asset tracking into customer engagement systems, leveraging data customers were already collecting for compliance and safety.[3]

• Enterprise SaaS Model with Hands-On Support: The company differentiated through an engagement model that understood customer objectives and rolled out comprehensive implementation plans, rather than simply deploying technology and walking away.[3]

• Intellectual Property Portfolio: MapAnything filed 31 patents covering geographic information systems, graphical user interfaces, and location-based workflows, establishing defensible technology moats.[2]

• Multi-Platform Expansion: Beyond Salesforce, the company expanded to ServiceNow, broadening its addressable market beyond pure sales organizations to include field service and IT service management.[6]

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

MapAnything rode the convergence of three powerful trends: the rise of mobile field workforces, the maturation of cloud CRM platforms (particularly Salesforce's dominance), and the increasing importance of location data in business intelligence. The company recognized early that "Where" was a missing dimension in enterprise software—most CRM and ERP systems tracked *what* happened and *who* was involved, but not *where* activities occurred or how geography influenced outcomes.

The timing proved crucial. As enterprises shifted to cloud-based systems in the 2010s and field sales teams became increasingly distributed, the need for location-based optimization became acute. MapAnything's positioning as a Salesforce-native solution meant it benefited from Salesforce's massive ecosystem expansion and the AppExchange marketplace's growth. By 2019, Salesforce's acquisition of MapAnything signaled that location intelligence had graduated from a nice-to-have feature to essential infrastructure—a validation that influenced how other enterprise software vendors approached geographic capabilities.

The company also influenced the broader telematics and fleet management ecosystem by demonstrating that location data was most valuable when embedded in systems of record (CRM, ERP, service management platforms) rather than siloed in specialized fleet management tools.

Quick Take & Future Outlook

MapAnything's acquisition by Salesforce in 2019 represented a successful exit for founders who prioritized equity preservation over rapid dilution—a model that resonated with bootstrapped software companies navigating growth. As Salesforce Maps, the product continues to evolve within Salesforce's broader ecosystem, benefiting from the parent company's R&D investment and customer base while losing some of its independent identity.

Looking forward, the convergence of AI, real-time data, and field automation will likely intensify the importance of location intelligence. Salesforce Maps (MapAnything's successor) is positioned to benefit from trends like autonomous field service, dynamic territory optimization powered by machine learning, and the integration of IoT sensor data into CRM workflows. The company's legacy—demonstrating that geography is a critical business dimension—will continue shaping how enterprise software vendors approach location-based features for decades to come.