A Chicago startup that uses artificial intelligence to identify firearms in security camera video feeds just raised a round of funding to improve its tech.
Aegis AI announced that it has raised $2.2 million in funding from Bling Capital, Upside Partnership and Tensility Venture Partners. Also included in the round was $155,000 it won last month after placing third at the University of Chicago New Venture Challenge.
The startup was founded last year by Sonny Tai, who fled violence in South Africa and served nine years in the U.S. Marine Corps. While at UChicago, Tai met Ben Ziomek, who came on as a co-founder and CTO. Ziomek previously worked at Microsoft, where he led a team of AI engineers.
Aegis, one of Chicago Inno's 19 Startups to Watch in 2019, has created software that hooks into an organization’s existing security cameras and uses computer vision to automatically identify anyone who’s brandishing a firearm. Once Aegis AI spots a weapon, it alerts an organization's security team who then notifies law enforcement. It launched last year with two pilot customers—a private school in Chicago and a school district in Seattle.
The company said it plans to use the funding to grow its team and add new customers.
"We’re thrilled to work with our investors to deploy our gun threat detection technology in new markets,” Tai said in a statement. “At Aegis, we have a passion for making any public space safer, and our technology gives security and law enforcement real-time, action information, allowing them to respond effectively to gun violence."
Aegis told Chicago Inno last year that it hopes to sell its technology to more schools and property management customers, and it could eventually be a fit for larger-scale venues like airports and the Olympics.
