US-headquartered ZeroEyes, an AI-based gun detection video analytics platform, has secured over $53 million in Series B funding. The oversubscribed round was led by Sorenson Capital (which invested in Safe Security and Digma), with participation from Intel Capital, BroadLight Capital, and existing investors.
The additional capital will be instrumental in propelling the company’s growth strategy, including investments in channel partnership programs, research and development, business expansion, and the company’s Gun Violence Research Center.
The idea behind ZeroEyes?
The company was founded in 2018 by a team of Navy SEALs and elite technologists – Dustin Brooks, Mike Lahiff, Rob Huberty, Sam Alaimo, and Tim Sulzer following the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school active shooter incident. The company was created to protect people from having to face similar circumstances.
As veterans and parents, the co-founders were compelled to develop a proactive solution to keep people safe after seeing and hearing about mass shootings occurring in schools and other public places, and the impact they have on our society.
Drawing from over 50 years of collective military experience, the company provides military-grade intelligence monitoring to facilities like schools, commercial buildings, and defense sites.
What does ZeroEyes do?
ZeroEyes’ AI gun detection and intelligent situational awareness software layers onto existing digital security cameras. If a gun is identified, images are instantly shared with the ZeroEyes Operations Center (ZOC), the industry’s US-based, fully in-house operation centre, which is staffed 24/7/365 by specially trained US. military and law enforcement veterans.
If these experts determine that the threat is valid, they dispatch alerts and actionable intelligence, including visual description, gun type, and last known location. It takes only 2 to 3 seconds for gun detection and police notifications, which can save lives.
It is touted to be the world’s only AI-based gun detection video analytics platform, which holds the US Department of Homeland Security SAFETY Act Designation.
ZeroEyes’ proactive AI gun detection and intelligent situational awareness software currently protect thousands of buildings for hundreds of customers in 42 states, and demand continues to grow in the education, commercial, transit, and government sectors.
“ZeroEyes is an unobtrusive force multiplier that helps protect schools, businesses, and other organisations against gun-related violence,” said Mike Lahiff, CEO and co-founder, ZeroEyes. “Our goal is for our software to become the fire alarm of the future. Every building in America has a fire alarm and at some point, every camera in the nation must have gun detection software deployed. We will be that provider.”
“Effective gun detection technology is difficult. The team at ZeroEyes has paired extensively trained military professionals with the most comprehensive AI-forward software to ensure safety in communities throughout the country,” said Rob Rueckert, Partner at Sorenson Capital. “The ZeroEyes team is, without exception, the most qualified team, with many years of collective military training.”
“Gun violence has changed the American education system. It’s a looming threat facing students, educators, and families regularly,” said Mark Lydon, Managing Director at Intel Capital. “The ability of ZeroEyes’ AI gun detection software to increase physical safety in schools, and beyond, offers a glimpse into a world where AI is leveraged to address the most critical societal challenges.”
What do we think about ZeroEyes?
The AI-based gun detection platform is a crucial innovation in enhancing public safety. It offers rapid, intelligent threat identification, significantly reducing response times. The recent funding will bolster its growth and technological advancement. ZeroEyes’ mission to make gun detection as ubiquitous as fire alarms is commendable and vital for mitigating gun violence in various settings.
