RapidSOS Secures $30 Million Series B

NEW YORK — RapidSOS has secured a $30 million Series B funding round to expand its advanced emergency technology platform. The funding was led by Playground Global, with participation from Highland Capital Partners, M12 (Microsoft’s Venture Fund), Two Sigma Ventures, Forte Ventures, The Westly Group, CSAA IG, and notable individuals including three former FCC Chairmen and Ralph de la Vega – former AT&T Vice Chairman and CEO of AT&T Business Solutions & International.

The New York company raised $16 million just this past April and has raised over $60 million to date.

RapidSOS provides an emergency platform to send rich data from connected devices to 911 and first responders, enabling faster and more effective emergency response. RapidSOS has raised $65M to date and powers hundreds of millions of devices, transmitting life-saving data for over 150,000 emergencies per day across the United States. 

“America’s 911 telecommunicators do heroic work managing over 240 million emergencies annually through outdated infrastructure that allows little more than a voice connection,” said Michael Martin, CEO of RapidSOS. “We spent the past five years partnering with public safety to transform that voice-only system into a rich data platform. I’m excited to continue our mission of providing life-saving data for every emergency globally.”

“RapidSOS is on the forefront of emergency technology, working with companies like Apple, Google, Uber, and Microsoft to transform emergency communication,” said Bruce Leak, co-founder of Playground Global. “We see endless opportunities for connected device data to enhance emergency response and are eager to work with RapidSOS to expand their life-saving platform.”

The RapidSOS Emergency API allows any connected device to pass life-saving data to 911 and first responders in an emergency.

• Smartphones pass faster and more accurate location during 911 calls.
• Wearables transmit real-time health data during medical emergencies.
• Industrial and home IoT sensors share multimedia, smoke density, and temperature readings, etc.
• Connected cars share location, crash severity, number of occupants, and other telematics data.

“Throughout my 40+ year career in the telecom industry, our nation’s 911 telecommunicators have managed billions of emergencies through a legacy voice-based infrastructure,” said Ralph de la Vega, former AT&T Vice Chairman and RapidSOS advisor and investor. “I’m excited to join RapidSOS as they globally deploy their advanced emergency platform – technology that adds data capabilities and is already saving lives across the U.S.”

Public safety agencies can access life-saving emergency data from companies like Apple, Google, Uber, and Microsoft via the RapidSOS NG911 Clearinghouse – a secure source for emergency data. Currently more than 1,500 911 centers, covering over 180 million people, have access to the RapidSOS NG911 Clearinghouse through either their existing software systems, or through RapidLite – a secure and easy to deploy web application.