Clare Jones is the CEO of Polarsteps, a travel app that has reached over 18 million users globally while staying profitable without significant external funding. Her career sits at an interesting crossroads of commercial leadership, impact investing, and operator-level execution. She was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for technology in 2019. She chose companies with a clear social or infrastructure purpose, stayed long enough to build real commercial depth at each one, and moved into the CEO seat only after nearly a decade of operator-level experience
Eight Years at what3words:
Before joining Polarsteps in mid-2024, Jones spent 8.5 years at what3words, joining in its very early days as a startup. In her role as Chief Commercial Officer, she helped scale the company to the post-Series C stage, fundraised, and led partnerships for what3words around the world.
That’s a meaningful run. what3words is a location technology company that assigns three-word addresses to every 3×3 meter square on Earth. The system is used in 170 countries and is being adopted by governments around the world as an official addressing system. Jones was central to building those commercial relationships across industries, including logistics, automotive, emergency services, and navigation.
From CCO to CEO:
Jones joined Polarsteps as CEO in June 2024. Polarsteps is the Amsterdam-based scale-up that has become an essential trip companion for over 10 million explorers worldwide, empowering travelers to plan, track, and relive their journeys. Since her appointment, that number has climbed significantly.
The platform has now reached more than 18 million users through organic, word-of-mouth growth. The company has grown to over 80 employees with minimal external funding and was profitable in 2024, generating more than €10 million in revenue.
The Growth Model She is Running:
Jones is leading a deliberate, market-by-market expansion. France became the company’s fastest-growing market, recording 290% user growth in 2024. The team learned from that rollout and is now applying those lessons to new geographies.
Polarsteps generates revenue primarily through printed travel books, where users convert their tracked trips into physical photo books. They are also growing affiliate revenue by sending users to booking platforms when they are ready to book activities or accommodations. The model funds free access for the broader user base without relying on advertising.
Polarsteps has now reached 80 team members and has been able to grow revenue significantly alongside user growth, allowing the company to scale without needing outside capital.
Using AI With a Human Layer:
One area Jones has spoken openly about is how Polarsteps is integrating AI into trip planning. The approach is specific. They are working with large language models to help users reflect on their journeys and plan future ones, but a team of expert travel editors remains crucial in the process.
Polarsteps combines an LLM with ten years of anonymized data on where people have been going, making AI-generated recommendations feel personalized rather than generic. That combination of model-based reasoning and human editorial oversight is how they are differentiating the planning experience from other tools.
Angel Investing and Volunteer Work:
Beyond her operating role, Jones backs companies with a clear social or environmental purpose. One of those is Byway, a slow travel startup that books multi-stop trips by train, bus, and ferry rather than flights. The investment is not incidental. Byway sits directly adjacent to the travel space Jones now operates in, and the values overlap is deliberate.
Her earlier background, before what3words, was in impact investment and social enterprise development. She also volunteers with NGOs working with vulnerable women and refugees in London. That thread runs consistently across her career, in the companies she backs, the products she runs, and where she puts her time outside of work.
Speaking and Industry Presence:
Jones is set to deliver a keynote at the EU-Startups Summit 2026 in May, centred on people-first scaling. Her session will explore how startups can grow without losing their culture, how to achieve ambitious goals with small teams, and practical lessons on communication, leadership, and company culture.
She has also spoken at Women of Silicon Roundabout and at industry events, including TechCrunch Disrupt. Her sessions consistently focus on mission-driven scaling rather than growth for its own sake, which reflects how she talks about Polarsteps internally too.
What her Track Record Shows:
Most commercial leaders build one playbook and repeat it. Jones built two different ones, in location infrastructure and consumer travel, at very different company stages, and both scaled. That kind of range is uncommon at the operator level.
In 2024, Polarsteps users collectively travelled over 20 billion kilometers, the equivalent of around 40 round-trip to Mars. That kind of usage data is what a CEO focused on retention, not just acquisition, tends to produce. Jones is a clear example of what operator-led, culture-conscious leadership looks like at the scaleup stage.
If you are looking for more profiles of women building real careers in tech, check out our Women in Tech section for more founder and operator stories from across the ecosystem.
