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# How HERE Technologies Expanded Their Developer Base Tenfold: From Freemium Model to Fortune 500 Success
In the fast-evolving world of location-based services, HERE Technologies has emerged as a global leader, providing cutting-edge mapping and geolocation solutions. With a history dating back to the 1980s, HERE Technologies has undergone several transformations, from its early days as Navteq to its acquisition by Nokia, and later, its rebranding as HERE Technologies. However, one of the most significant milestones in the company’s journey was its strategic shift to a freemium model, which played a pivotal role in expanding its developer base tenfold and propelling it to Fortune 500 success.
This article explores how HERE Technologies leveraged the freemium model to grow its developer community, the challenges it faced, and the key factors that contributed to its success.
## The Evolution of HERE Technologies
HERE Technologies began as Navteq, a company that specialized in digital mapping and navigation systems. Over the years, it became a key player in the automotive and mobile industries, providing mapping data to major companies like Garmin, BMW, and Microsoft. In 2007, Nokia acquired Navteq for $8.1 billion, integrating its mapping technology into Nokia’s mobile devices.
However, as the smartphone market evolved and competition intensified, Nokia’s dominance waned, and the company sold its mapping division to a consortium of German automakers (Audi, BMW, and Daimler) in 2015. This marked the birth of HERE Technologies as an independent entity, with a renewed focus on providing location-based services to a broader range of industries, including transportation, logistics, and smart cities.
## The Shift to a Freemium Model
One of the most significant turning points in HERE Technologies’ growth strategy was its decision to adopt a freemium model in 2018. Prior to this, HERE’s services were primarily targeted at large enterprises and automotive manufacturers, with high licensing fees that limited access to smaller businesses and individual developers.
The freemium model, which offers a basic version of a product for free while charging for premium features, allowed HERE Technologies to open its platform to a much wider audience. By offering free access to its core mapping and geolocation APIs, HERE was able to attract developers from startups, small businesses, and independent developers who were previously unable to afford its services.
### Key Features of the Freemium Model
1. **Free Access to Core APIs**: HERE
