RapidSOS Secures $25 Million in B2 Funding to Bridge Information Gaps in Emergency Response

On October 12, 2019, VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) learned from foreign media that data-driven emergency response services company RapidSOS completed a $25 million Series B-2 financing round, bringing its total Series B funding to $55 million. This round was led by Energy Impact Partners (EIP).

Previously, the company raised a total of $65 million in funding. Prior investors include Playground Global (a startup incubator co-founded by Andy Rubin, the father of Android), Highland Capital Partners, and M12, Microsoft’s venture capital fund, among others.

RapidSOS, founded in 2012 and headquartered in New York, USA, is dedicated to enhancing the efficiency of information transmission and reception between emergency calls and public safety answering points (PSAPs) through accurate and rapid response mechanisms. The RapidSOS emergency platform integrates data from various sources, including wearable devices, telematics from connected vehicles, smoke concentration data from smart home systems, and location tracking from mobile phones.

In the event of an emergency, RapidSOS enhances the response speed of 911 personnel by feeding data back to 911 emergency services, enabling them to arrive at the scene as quickly as possible. The company stated that it currently has access to emergency data from multiple organizations, including Apple, Google, Uber, the MedicAlert Foundation, and the American Heart Association.

Specifically, RapidSOS offers several core products, such as the NG911 Clearinghouse, which covers 180 million users in the United States, and the emergency response application Haven. Meanwhile, the company’s application programming interface (API) is open to device manufacturers and applications to ensure seamless information flow throughout the entire RapidSOS system.

This round of financing will help RapidSOS establish extensive partnerships with public safety agencies and public safety vendors. Michael Martin, CEO of RapidSOS, stated, “This funding brings us closer to realizing our vision of connecting global public safety. We will continue to seek new data partners and expand our emergency response platform worldwide to ensure that everyone receives timely rescue services when they need them most.”

Of course, RapidSOS is not the only company in the market dedicated to bridging the information gap in emergency medical services. Carbyne, an Israeli firm, completed a $15 million financing round in August 2018 and offers an end-to-end digital emergency response system. However, Martin believes there are significant differences between his company and Carbyne: while Carbyne primarily provides modernized software solutions, RapidSOS focuses mainly on ensuring the seamless flow of data and information.

Energy Impact Partners is an investment firm focused on investing in companies that optimize energy consumption and produce renewable energy.