RapidSOS

RapidSOS

Company type	Private
Industry	Public safety communications, Technology, Software
Founded	2012 (2012)
Founder	Michael Martin, Nicholas Horelik
Headquarters	New York , United States
Area served	Global
Products	RapidSOS Connect, RapidSOS Safety, RapidSOS Portal, RapidSOS Premium, RapidSOS Integrations
Website	www.rapidsos.com

RapidSOS is an advanced safety platform that securely connects information from more than 500 million devices to upwards of 15,000 first responder organizations. Established in 2012 by Michael Martin and Nicholas Horelik, the company collaborates with IoT providers to improve the precision of caller information in 9-1-1 dispatch centers. Its first offering was the Haven mobile app, and today, RapidSOS delivers emergency data directly to telecommunicators without requiring users to launch any application.

The suite of RapidSOS products includes RapidSOS Connect, Safety, Portal, Premium, and Integrations. The company has formed key alliances with prominent industry players such as Apple, Axon, Uber, Google, Simplisafe, Sirius XM, and MedicAlert to advance emergency response effectiveness. These partnerships enhance RapidSOS’s presence in the public safety technology market and facilitate global expansion by embedding real-time data into emergency response workflows.

History

Founded in 2012 by Michael Martin and Nicholas Horelik, RapidSOS was created to solve critical challenges related to 911 data transmission. Martin was personally motivated after experiencing delays in emergency assistance when his father endured a serious fall and was unable to reach 911 via cellphone. Additionally, Martin’s encounter with a dangerous situation in New York City highlighted the urgent need for swift and reliable access to emergency services.

The company’s initial solution, the Haven smartphone application, allowed users to share live location details with relatives and initiate 911 calls on behalf of others. This app transmitted accurate location and personal information directly to dispatch centers with the goal of enhancing response speed and accuracy.

From 2012 through 2015, RapidSOS conducted analysis on over 12 million emergency calls to improve its technology. By 2016–2017, it launched pilot initiatives integrating precise location data within Emergency Communication Centers across the United States. In 2018, RapidSOS established a partnership with Apple enabling U.S. iPhone users to securely share their location during 911 calls via the RapidSOS Platform; this was followed by a similar integration with Google for Android Emergency Location Services (ELS) data.

In March 2023, RapidSOS teamed up with Grubhub to boost driver safety by transmitting dynamic location information and caller identification directly to 911 responders through the Grubhub for Drivers application. This collaboration demonstrates RapidSOS’s growing influence in international markets and its expanding network of strategic partnerships within the safety technology sector.

Featured products

RapidSOS provides vital emergency information sourced from IoT devices and applications to assist public safety officials.

• RapidSOS Safety delivers round-the-clock AI-powered safety agent support tailored for customers, employees, and communities.
• RapidSOS Connect offers a straightforward-to-integrate emergency API designed to accelerate and improve response efforts.
• RapidSOS Portal is a complimentary platform that supplies verified data from over 500 million connected devices—including live location updates, health records, and vehicle crash information—to 9-1-1 operators.
• RapidSOS Premium builds upon the Portal by adding sophisticated mapping capabilities and workflow enhancements aimed at optimizing emergency response management.
• RapidSOS Integrations allows GovTech entities and public safety software vendors to embed life-saving data from the RapidSOS Platform into their existing systems.

Recognition

• 2016: Honored as the winner of the 21st Century Communities Challenge by Utah Science Technology and Research (USTAR).
• 2016: Awarded the Innovation Entrepreneur Award by the Consumer Technology Association.

Funding

RapidSOS has raised in excess of $250 million through various financing rounds:

• November 2018: Secured $30 million in a Series B round led by Playground Global.
• October 2019: Obtained an additional $55 million in Series B funding spearheaded by Energy Impact Partners.
• February 2021: Closed an $85 million Series C round with Insight Partners as the lead investor.
• October 2022: Completed a $75 million extension to the Series C round led by Night Dragon.

These capital infusions have driven RapidSOS’s expansion, enhancing its advanced safety platform and bolstering its position within the emergency response technology sector.