An Austin startup with South African roots is planning to put even more data into the hands of 9-1-1 operators and emergency responders after raising $29 million.
RapidDeploy Inc., founded in Cape Town in 2014 by CEO Steven Raucher and CIO Brett Meyerowitz, announced April 29 the new series B funding. The investment was led by Morpheus Ventures, a Los Angeles-based venture capital firm. Others participating in the round included GreatPoint Ventures, Ericsson Ventures, Samsung Next Ventures, Tao Capital Partners, Clearvision Ventures and Tau Ventures.
Mark Dyne, founding partner at Morpheus Ventures, has joined the company's board of directors.
“The future of emergency services is in data, which creates a faster, more responsive 9-1-1 center,” Dyne said in a statement. “We believe that the platform RapidDeploy has built provides the necessary breadth of capabilities that make the dream of Next-Gen 9-1-1 service a reality for rural and metropolitan communities across the nation."
With new money flowing into research and development, RapidDeploy is looking to expand its list of customers, which include statewide contracts in California, Arizona and Kansas as well as deals with more than 650 9-1-1 centers in the United States. It provides dispatch, mapping and analytics products that help call centers share more information to help the public.
Earlier this year, RapidDeploy noted that its mapping product RadiusPlus was being used by the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services to make its platform available across the state and tie it in with geographic information system (GIS) data from fire and traffic cameras. That helps first responders understand the situation they're responding to and plan routes that might avoid traffic.
The company, which opened its Austin headquarters in January 2019, has now raised a total of $43 million. It currently has 107 U.S. employees and 95 in South Africa. It projects hiring 10 to 15 new employees globally per quarter for the next year. It currently has more than 15 jobs posted on its website, including nine for its Austin office.
This story has been updated with additional information from RapidDeploy on its headcount and funding total.
