Last week the company announced the addition of $25 million in new funding, led by the investment firm Energy Impact Partners, to its Series B funding round that had collected $30 million as of November 2018. That brings the company’s fundraising total to about $91 million since its inception in 2013, according to data on Crunchbase.
The news release said the money will accelerate RapidSOS’s ability to partner with public safety agencies, major public-safety software providers and IoT device companies across the United States and abroad. At present, the company reports that 3,500 first-responder agencies use its platform, which proposes to improve response times and efficacy by automatically transmitting data from IoT devices to responders. Among other things, this could include a 911 caller’s medical information, vehicle telematics from traffic collisions, photos or videos from smartphones and data from nearby building sensors.
“This funding supports our mission to connect the world to public safety,” RapidSOS CEO Michael Martin said in a statement. “With this new funding, we will focus on launching new data partners and expanding our emergency response platform globally to ensure everyone has access to emergency services when they need it most.”
Since launching its service in 2018, RapidSOS has partnered with major technology companies and organizations such as Apple, Google, Microsoft, Uber, Callyo, Mark43, the MedicAlert Foundation and the American Heart Association, allowing the company to funnel real-time information to a clearinghouse accessible to responders.
Tyrell Morris, executive director of the Orleans Parish Communications District in Louisiana, extolled RapidSOS in a public statement about the value of specific, real-time information during emergencies.
“New Orleans went live with RapidSOS last year and it’s quickly become one of our most important resources for saving lives, especially during natural disasters and major events like Mardi Gras,” Morris said. “This tool is undeniably saving lives across our jurisdiction and across the nation.”
