South African-born emergency technology startup AURA has successfully raised €13.5 million (approximately R270 million) in a pivotal Series B funding round, accelerating its mission to democratize access to private emergency response services worldwide. This funding round was co-led by the Cathay AfricInvest Innovation Fund (CAIF) and global venture capital firm Partech, bringing AURA’s total funding to about €21 million (around R420 million) since its inception in 2017.
Founded by Warren Myers, Ryan Green, and Adam Pantanowitz, AURA operates a smart emergency dispatch platform that connects individuals in distress to the nearest vetted private security or medical responders. The company has established South Africa’s largest private emergency response network, currently boasting over 3,000 responders on its platform. Over time, AURA has facilitated more than 7,500 life-saving interventions and protects over 200,000 properties, with more than 1.2 million people connected to its services globally.
The recent capital injection is directed primarily toward AURA’s expansion into the United States, a market increasingly seeking private security alternatives due to stretched public emergency services. AURA has already soft-launched its on-demand private security response model in the U.S., aiming to make alarm verification faster, improve safety for homes and businesses, and help law enforcement target higher-priority incidents by filtering non-urgent calls.
AURA’s platform stands out through its flexible, API-enabled architecture that allows seamless integration with existing digital ecosystems. This enables partners to embed emergency response services into customer-facing portals, apps, WhatsApp, IoT devices, or other smart technology, thereby making instant emergency assistance either a free or value-added service accessible to a wide range of demographics.
Looking ahead, AURA is developing a novel “global clearing house” platform designed to facilitate borderless emergency dispatch services through a unified API, aiming to create a universal, seamless system for emergency response coordination worldwide.
Warren Myers, CEO of AURA, emphasized the significance of this milestone: “Having built a profitable and trusted presence in the UK and Africa, we’re now ready to take personal safety global. This funding marks a pivotal moment. Our mission is to make access to life-saving services seamless, borderless, and available through a single API.”
Investors echoed strong confidence in AURA’s vision and execution, highlighting its potential to scale globally and transform how emergency response is accessed and delivered.
With this strong backing and a rapidly growing international footprint, AURA is set to revolutionize on-demand emergency response, making lifesaving services more affordable, accessible, and efficient across continents.
Team V.3-UAE
