Felt
Category: AI Agents
Felt is an internet-based, collaborative mapping platform designed to be easy to use for everyone. It allows teams and individuals to create, visualize, and share data-driven maps without needing specialized GIS expertise. Felt was founded in 2021. The company is led by Sam Hashemi. Based in Oakland, California, United States. Team size: 11-50. Total funding raised: $19.5 million. Latest round: Series B, $15.0M, 2025-07, led by Energize Capital. Key investors include Bain Capital Ventures (BCV), Footwork, Designer Fund, Moxxie Ventures, AngelList, Guillermo Rauch (Vercel CEO), Dylan Field (Figma CEO), John Lilly (former Mozilla CEO), Scott Belsky (Adobe CPO).
- Founded
- 2021
- Headquarters
- Oakland, California, United States
- Team size
- 11-50
- Total funding
- $19.5 million
Value proposition
Felt democratizes map-making by transforming a complex, expert-driven field into an intuitive, collaborative, and accessible web-based experience. It empowers anyone to tell stories and make decisions with data-rich maps.
Products and solutions
Collaborative online map editor, Data visualization and analysis tools, Geospatial data uploading and integration (any format), AI-powered map generation from natural language, Public data library, QGIS Plugin, API for developers
Unique value
Felt’s primary unique factor is its emphasis on extreme usability and real-time collaboration, positioning it as the 'Figma for maps.' Its AI-powered, browser-based interface democratizes cartography, allowing non-experts to perform complex data visualization and analysis that previously required specialized training and desktop software.
Target customer
Professionals and teams in sectors like climate, energy, urban planning, emergency response, and logistics. It also serves educators, journalists, and individuals who need to visualize and collaborate on spatial data.
Industries served
Energy & Climate, Government & Urban Planning, Emergency Response, Logistics & Transportation, Environmental Science, Journalism
Technology advantage
A key advantage is its generative AI for map creation, which simplifies complex GIS tasks into natural language prompts. The platform is built on a modern, cloud-native architecture, enabling real-time collaboration. The founders' past success with Remix and expertise in human-computer interaction provides a strong strategic edge.
How they differentiate
Felt differentiates from legacy players like Esri with a modern, web-native, and collaborative user experience. Compared to developer-focused tools like Mapbox, Felt targets a broader audience of business users and non-technical creators. It offers more powerful data capabilities than simpler tools like Google My Maps.
Main competitors
Esri (ArcGIS), Mapbox, Google My Maps, QGIS
Key partnerships
Information not publicly available
Notable customers
Brimstone, National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), The Nature Conservancy, Various NGOs and government agencies
Major milestones
Founded and launched in 2021., Raised a $4.5M Seed round in August 2021., Raised a $15M Series A round in May 2022, led by Footwork., Launched AI-first features, enabling map creation with natural language., Established a strong foothold in the climate and energy sectors.
Growth metrics
Significant user adoption with over 50% of customers in the energy and climate sectors. The platform is used for critical applications like wildfire response and planning for the energy transition.
Market positioning
Positioned as an accessible, collaborative alternative to complex, legacy GIS software, aiming to become the go-to tool for teams needing to work with spatial data.
Geographic focus
Global
Patents and IP
Information not publicly available
About Sam Hashemi
Sam Hashemi is a seasoned entrepreneur and product leader with a strong background in human-computer interaction. He co-founded and led two successful companies, Remix and Felt, demonstrating his expertise in building and scaling technology ventures. His career began at NASA, where he honed his skills in designing user-centric interfaces for complex systems. Hashemi's work consistently focuses on creating powerful, accessible tools that solve real-world problems, from urban transportation planning to collaborative mapping.
Official website: https://felt.com