Armored Things' main directive is to keep people safe in crowds, through the use of sensors and AI software that monitor crowd flow and predict threats.
Now, crowds are a thing of the past. But Armored Things is still plowing forward.
The Boston-based startup has brought in $7 million in additional seed funding led by Will Ventures, with participation from Splunk, Glasswing Ventures, iNovia and MassVentures. The new funding comes nearly two years after Armored Things closed the first tranche of its seed round at $5.5 million. The company was founded in December 2016 by now-CEO Julie Johnson and Charles Curran.
In the coming months, Armored Things will play a key role in the reopening of large venues like sports stadiums and college campuses, which will begin to welcome people back on their sites very soon. The existing applications of the startup's software—tracking the flow of people, monitoring and alerting on overcrowding and reporting on utilization for sanitation scheduling—will be particularly important as states move forward on reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"It wasn't without some fear, in March, when you call yourself a crowd intelligence company and 'crowd' suddenly becomes the worst word to say," Johnson said. "It became clear several weeks later that we could be helpful. Now, we have a whole pipeline of universities and teams and companies considering working with us."
One of those is the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC), part of the Major Soccer League. LAFC announced Tuesday that it will use Armored Things' software to monitor crowd density, space utilization, security and sanitation as it begins to bring fans back into its 22,000-person venue.
Armored Things had already been working in the sports space; two years ago, it counted 26 stadiums among its clientele, BostInno reported at the time. The LAFC partnership has the potential to be influential in expanding the startup's sports footprint. So does the lead investment from Will Ventures, which was co-founded by former NFL linebacker Isaiah Kacyvenski.
Armored Things also plans to expand its collegiate customer base. The startup is in early talks with several Boston-area universities, Johnson said, although she declined to publicly name specific schools. Plenty of campuses are planning to take a hybrid approach to learning this fall, allowing students to choose whether to come to a physical classroom, take courses online or a combination of the two. But it remains to be seen how some colleges will handle the logistics of crowds in common areas.
"Let's expand our engagement and use our software now to make sure common spaces aren't getting crowded," Johnson said. "Think entryways, cafeterias. In a university, that might be a student union or a library. How do we monitor and maintain those spaces in a safe way that maintains student success?"
With the new funding, in addition to dramatically expanding its footprint by year's end, Armored Things plans to expand sales and its go-to-market strategy. The startup will also push forward on its development efforts, particularly building and refining its AI and data-based technology.
Johnson said she intends to make the new capital last through the end of 2021. Armored Things hit revenue phase late last year, and it's not yet clear what the funding environment will look like over the next year or two.
"Keeping people safe is taking on a whole other layer of complexity given the public health angle," Johnson said. "That's a big piece of what we're doing. Honoring our mission, staying true to that mission, is fundamental to who we are and who we attract and hopefully retain, and how we build our business."
