From Monetization to Social Impact: Business Model Adjustment in Circlegeo’s .GIS Platform

This study explores the business model of the .GIS platform product developed by Circlegeo using the Nine Buildings framework based on the Business Model Canvas and the Theory of Change framework to analyze the social impact created by the .GIS platform. Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews, non-participant observation, and systematic document analysis. The results show a shift in the business model. In 2022, Circlegeo shifted its target market from its previous focus on B2C and B2G customer segments to B2B and B2G, which will continue until 2026. The social impact analysis also shows that the .GIS platform's contribution to society is not only practical for geospatial analysis but also its usefulness in academic research. These findings indicate that Circlegeo positions the .GIS platform as a dual-purpose PLG instrument: introducing the company to potential customers of other paid products while simultaneously creating independent social impact. Previous research on freemium and product-led growth (PLG) business models has generally positioned free strategies as customer acquisition tools toward monetization, with limited potential for creating tangible social impact. This research contributes to the literature on PLG and freemium business models by demonstrating that such strategies can be a pathway to authentic social impact creation, not simply a step towards monetization.