Between the global pandemic, natural disasters and several domestic threats, this last year has certainly put a spotlight on how important our emergency response services are. Accurate information is essential, and quick response times can be a matter of life or death.
One NYC-based company, RapidSOS, aims to make it easier for these emergency response teams to do their jobs effectively, providing them with immediate data about 911 callers and the situations they’re in. The startup announced Tuesday it closed on an $85 million Series C round led by Insight Partners, which it will use to continue growing its business.
“When our lives are on the line — during a car accident, heart attack or home invasion — most of us rely on a 1960s analog 911 infrastructure. The result is that, in the middle of an emergency, we need to find our phone, dial 911, and verbally explain our location and circumstances,” RapidSOS founder and CEO Michael Martin said in a recent blog post. “But, today, data exists that can help save lives.
Here’s how it works: RapidSOS’s platform gathers data from tech like connected vehicles, smart buildings, wearable devices, home security systems, and mobile apps, then sends this information to local public safety agencies when an emergency arises. This approach arms first responders with crucial information like location, camera footage and a victim’s health information so they can do their jobs more quickly and effectively.
RapidSOS says it currently powers nearly 5,000 emergency communication centers across the United States and has integrated with more than 350 million connected devices covering about 92 percent of the U.S. population.
Much of this usage has been in 2020, and the pandemic is only part of the reason why. The company says its platform was used in more than 150 million emergencies in the calendar year (on average, about 400,000 a day). In addition to coronavirus-related situations, RapidSOS has also assisted with various natural disasters and domestic incidents, such as the bombing in downtown Nashville on Christmas Day that took out a portion of the city’s 911 infrastructure.
The last time Built In caught up with RapidSOS was in 2019, when it closed on a $55 million Series B. Since then, the company raised an additional $21 million in June and has partnered with the American Red Cross, the American Heart Association and Direct Relief to launch its Emergency Health Profile, which makes it easier for anyone to share their health data with 911.
Looking ahead, RapidSOS says it plans to use this fresh funding to fuel its international expansion, aiming to replicate what it does in the United States around the world. The company is also hiring, with dozens of open tech positions available now.
