Emergency Response Innovation Receives Significant Investment

Emergency services have proven invaluable during the recent period of global challenges, delivering vital assistance throughout a time marked by both typical disasters and the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic.

A startup focused on enhancing emergency response capabilities through improved data access for teams is announcing a substantial funding round to fuel its continued growth.

RapidSOS Secures $85 Million in Series C Funding

RapidSOS, a company specializing in a data platform for emergency responders, has successfully closed a $85 million Series C funding round. These funds will be allocated to expanding data integrations and broadening operational reach.

In 2020 alone, the platform assisted in addressing approximately 150 million emergencies, averaging 400,000 incidents daily.

This encompassed responses to COVID-19 cases, natural disasters, and related situations. Notably, RapidSOS provided crucial data support following the Nashville bombing on Christmas Day, which impacted 300 agencies by disrupting 911 infrastructure.

Investment Details and Expansion Plans

Insight led the funding round, with participation from other undisclosed investors. While the valuation remains confidential, RapidSOS has now raised a total of $200 million, following a $21 million raise in June of the previous year.

Originally founded in New York, RapidSOS has expanded its operations to Mexico, now covering 70% of consumers in collaboration with first responders and partners like Google and Uber, leveraging location and ride-sharing data.

Furthermore, the company is officially launching operations in the U.K., partnering with MedicAlert, with whom they have been collaborating discreetly for the past year.

Addressing the Emergency Data Gap

The opportunity in the U.K. mirrors the challenge RapidSOS initially addressed in the U.S. The average U.K. household possesses nine connected devices – including smartphones, smartwatches, and security systems.

The goal is to integrate data from these devices, providing responders with vital information like location and medical history when individuals call 999 (the U.K.’s equivalent of 911). This aims to streamline the emergency response process in a currently fragmented information landscape.

“Currently, emergency services often lack even basic information like a caller’s name. Providing this data can save critical seconds in response times,” explains CEO and co-founder Michael Martin.

Platform Growth and Integration

In the U.S., RapidSOS collaborates with over 4,800 emergency communications centers, covering 92% of the population. The platform integrates with existing software used by these centers. (For example, Carbyne, a RapidSOS partner, recently secured $25 million in funding.)

The startup’s platform currently consolidates data from approximately 350 million connected devices.

The Data Infrastructure Challenge

Martin draws a comparison to an hourglass, illustrating the current data flow. “There are nearly 20 billion devices generating critical information, and sophisticated software systems to utilize it, but a bottleneck exists in the form of 1960s-era voice infrastructure.”

RapidSOS aims to bridge this gap, facilitating a more organized and efficient flow of information during emergency calls.

Expanding Data Contribution and the Emergency Health Profile

Beyond connecting data sources, RapidSOS is developing a platform to encourage broader data contribution from companies holding relevant information. This initiative gained momentum as companies proactively sought ways to assist RapidSOS during the past year.

This led to a collaboration with the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, and Direct Relief, resulting in the launch of the Emergency Health Profile. This allows individuals in the U.S. to voluntarily share health information with first responders through a profile linked to their mobile number.

This complements RapidSOS’s existing real-time diagnostic data, aiming for a comprehensive understanding of a person’s condition. While offering significant benefits, this approach presents challenges related to data privacy and protection, issues that have historically hindered such initiatives.

Future Outlook and Investor Confidence

These challenges, however, are precisely the type that technology can address, attracting venture capital investment.

“Insight has a proven track record of supporting category-defining companies, and RapidSOS demonstrates the potential to become a leader in the emergency response sector,” stated Nikitas Koutoupes, MD at Insight Partners. “We are committed to leveraging our expertise to support RapidSOS’s mission.”