Aura, a South African security and medical marketplace, announced that it has raised $4 million (R62 million) in a Series A funding round led by MultiChoice Group (MCG), KLT Holdings and Buffet Investments.
AURA is a marketplace that enables anyone to access the closest vetted private and public security and medical response unit to their location – anywhere, anytime – using a connected device.
The new funding will assist in the startup’s global expansion plans and recruiting top talent to head up each new region while growing teams in established regions. It recently opened offices in UK and East Africa.
Founded in 2016 by co-founders Warren Myers, Ryan Green and Adam Pantanowitz, Aura is already the leading marketplace of its kind in SA, gathering and centralising data from over 170 private security companies before applying AI to dispatch the closest vetted response vehicle to its over 400,000 active users.
AURA’s vision is to democratise access to its network and make emergency response much more accessible, says Pantanowitz. “Because we have this scale, we’re able to increase access and improve affordability. Since AURA’s inception in 2016, there are areas previously not serviced by private security firms that now have AURA watching over them. The responder application and the AURA marketplace ensure that safety emergency units reach users faster, eliminating the need for call centres that have been used in the traditional security sector.”
The new funding deal presents an incredible opportunity for AURA to enter new markets with a thorough plan for success, says Green. “It will ensure that we create marketplace fluidity as quickly as possible rather than bootstrapping activities that slow down the required traction. This next year will be focused on that growth – ramping up operations as seamlessly and efficiently as possible.”
And it’s just the first step towards our vision of a safer future for all, says Myers. “Our hope is to become the centre repository for risk data – not only responding to emergencies but to proactively predict and deal with any type of violent crime, whether on a one-on-one scale or the size of a riot. The data is already available to do so, it’s just not centralised. Yet.”
“To accelerate the evolution of our ecosystem by offering additional value-added services to our customers, we are investing in scalable and innovative technology platforms like AURA. Not only does it strengthen our service offering and enhance long-term value creation for shareholders, but it also drives economic development and job creation.,” says Calvo Mawela, Group CEO of MultiChoice.
