From left: AURA co-founders Warren Myers, Ryan Green and Adam Pantanowitz.
Local security and medical response platform AURA has raised €13.5 million (R272.9 million) in a Series B funding round.
This latest round brings AURA’s total funding to €21 million (R425 million), to date.
The start-up says the funding deal, co-led by the Cathay AfricInvest Innovation Fund (CAIF) and Partech, will fund its expansion into the US market.
The company’s US expansion plans come as it has already kicked-off its on-demand private security response model.
“This funding marks a pivotal moment for AURA,” says Warren Myers, founder and CEO. “Having built a profitable and trusted presence in the UK and Africa, we’re now ready to take personal safety global.
“Our mission is to make access to life-saving services seamless, borderless and available through a single API – empowering individuals and the platforms that serve them.”
“Having been involved in AURA’s remarkable story for the past two years, strengthening our partnership via this follow-on investment came as a natural decision to us,” comments Patricia Rinke, investment director at CAIF.
“We trust the team’s powerful vision and extraordinary execution capabilities as it scales its life-saving technology to the US market and across the world. We are equally thrilled to welcome Partech as partners in our joint mission to make emergency response universally accessible.”
Founded in 2017 by Myers, Ryan Green and Adam Pantanowitz in SA, AURA says 1.2 million people currently have access to its personal safety solution and 200 000 properties are secured via its fixed location services.
After securing R62 million in a Series A funding round in 2021, AURA indicated plans to expand to other global markets. Over the years, the firm has expanded its services to East Africa and the UK, setting Mexico and Nigeria as part of its growth trajectory.
“AURA has been one of the most innovative players globally in the emergency response and security industry,” states Matthieu Marchand, principal at Partech. “We are very excited to see such innovation built in South Africa and now successfully winning across the world. It’s only the beginning.”
