When Bow Rodgers was consulting the head of Alchera Inc., a Korean developer of image recognition technology, the CEO asked him to help figure out other uses for the company's technology.
Rodgers, a longtime tech executive, and Alchera CEO Young-Kyoo Hwang theorized it could be used to spot physical hazards, like wildfires, faster than waiting for someone to call 911. That "aha" moment in 2018 paved the way for the launch of AlcheraX Inc., a Sunnyvale conmpany that has developed technology specifically tuned to spotting wildfire smoke in digital videos.
The startup, a subsidiary of Hwang's company, launched in 2019. It has designed a cloud-based service, dubbed FireScout, to monitor the video feeds from the hundreds of cameras electric utility companies and government agencies have already deployed in forested and other areas. The service will notify its users whenever one of AlcheraX's employees confirms a fire detected by the system — a process that can happen in less than a minute, according to the company.
"It's really time to start adding technology to that arsenal of tools to allow fire departments to get an edge on things," Rodgers said. "It's really critical that we can get it quickly. These fires are going to happen ... We can start stemming the damage, maybe not the start, but the damage from these fires significantly."
About the company
- Company: AlcheraX Inc.
- Headquarters: Sunnyvae
- President: Bow Rodgers
- Year founded: 2019
- Number of employees: 20
- Website: firescout.ai
Rodgers, who once helped run cable box operating system provider PowerTV Inc., said that the "real skill to great artificial intelligence" comes through data sets. And AlcheraX has more than 10 million data sets looking in the daytime for smoke and at night for flame and spark.
"If smoke is spotted, and it's not near an asset, then there's a handshake with the local fire department to alert them," Rodgers said. "The reality is, if it's grassy area, fire may move really fast, so the fire department wants to know what they're up against."
AlcheraX has had the chance to test its technology in the field, after winning a Sonoma County competition that was looking for companies that could help detect wildfires. That win came with a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the opportunity to work with the North Bay county.
Sonoma County didn't have too many fires in the latter part of 2021, when AlcheraX began its work in the county, but those small fires that did ignite were captured by the FireScout system, according to Jorge Rodriguez, the county's community alert and warning coordinator.
"This year, the system has beaten a 911 call by a few minutes ... Knowing that time is of the essence. Those minutes are very critical," Rodriguez said. Sonoma County will complete its evaluation of the software early next year.
Also in 2021, AlcheraX signed a contract with PG&E and San Diego Gas and Electric. It's working on a contract with NV Energy in Nevada. AlcheraX also has customers in Australia and is looking at acquiring new customers in Europe, Rodgers said. The company's contracts span several years and charges customers monthly on a per-camera basis. Rodgers declined to specify a range of fees that each customer pays.
The startup hasn't raised any venture funding so far, but has about $10 million in support from its parent company, Rodgers said. AlcheraX company aims to raise its first round of venture funding sometime next year, though Rodgers is not certain what amount will be needed.
Rodgers grew up in the Bay Area and has been dismayed by California's ever-worsening fire season. In 2018, the Camp Fire — also known as the Paradise Fire — killed 85 people, thousands of pets, and destroyed nearly 20,000 buildings.
"This is what motives me: I don't want to leave an ashtray to my daughter," Rodgers said. "These things are getting worse. Ten years ago, there was ten bad air days, now there's 45... You feel good when you're helping."
