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How this African tech start-up is disrupting America’s public safety industry
South African born tech company RapidDeploy has become the most disruptive company to hit the United States public safety industry in decades. The company raised over R250 million in investments after starting out in the emergency first responder community in Cape Town. Joining CNBC Africa for more is Steven Raucher, CEO of RapidDeploy.
Mon, 09 Dec 2019 11:27:07 GMT
Disclaimer: The following content is generated automatically by a GPT AI and may not be accurate. To verify the details, please watch the video
AI Generated Summary
- RapidDeploy's origin in the Cape Town emergency first responder community, solving challenges in tracking and navigating emergency calls
- Strategic entry into the US market and partnership with AT&T for cloud-based public safety solutions
- Successful fundraising efforts, growth to over 100 employees, and recognition by industry giants like Microsoft
South African-born tech company, RapidDeploy, has made significant waves in the United States public safety industry, raising over R250 million in investments. The company's journey began in the emergency first responder community in Cape Town, where CEO Steven Raucher and his partner, Brett, identified challenges in tracking ambulances and navigating first responders to emergency calls. Brett, a former IT professional, and volunteer paramedic in Cape Town, started building a platform to address these issues in his spare time. Meanwhile, Steven, with a background in investment banking, had returned to Cape Town to volunteer full-time as a first responder, driven by a personal tragedy involving the loss of his brother in a drowning accident. The duo eventually crossed paths, leading to the commercialization of Brett's platform as RapidDeploy. RapidDeploy entered the US market, a highly competitive space dominated by multi-billion dollar organizations, with a unique cloud-based platform for processing emergency service calls. Despite initial skepticism from competitors at trade shows, RapidDeploy's breakthrough came in August 2018 when they secured a partnership with AT&T for cloud-based public safety solutions. This strategic alliance positioned RapidDeploy well ahead of the competition, enabling rapid growth and success in the market. The company's pivotal moments included the announcement of their AT&T partnership, the closing of their Series A funding led by renowned investor Ray Lane, and securing contracts with entire states like California and Kansas for their mapping and dispatch solutions. RapidDeploy's ability to raise $250 million for a startup stemmed from their strategic growth and early bootstrapping efforts. The company, which started with 25 employees in 2016, has now expanded to over 100 employees across South Africa and the US. Navigating Silicon Valley required significant networking and perseverance, but RapidDeploy's confidence in the sophisticated development experience in South Africa propelled them through the challenges. Despite initial doubts about African technology, RapidDeploy has proven its credibility and brand strength in the high barrier-to-entry US public safety market. Partnerships with industry giants like Microsoft further solidified RapidDeploy's position, with Microsoft USA naming them as their partner of the year for government business in America. In the face of adversity and skepticism, RapidDeploy's relentless pursuit of innovation and excellence has positioned them as a trailblazer in disrupting America's public safety industry.
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