ZeroEyes Funding, Investors & Competitors

ZeroEyes has raised $102M across 6 funding rounds, most recently a $53M Series B in June 2024.

Last ZeroEyes funding round

$53M

Series B · Jun 2024

Cumulative funding ZeroEyes raised

$102M

across 6 funding rounds

Key investors in ZeroEyes

  • Octave Ventures LLC
  • Legion Cap
  • Alliance Holdings GP
  • Grateful Ventures
  • Alumni Ventures
  • Intel Capital
  • Sorenson Capital
  • Nitesh Banta

ZeroEyes Overview

About ZeroEyes

ZeroEyes is a Reston-headquartered AI company specializing in proactive gun detection from security cameras. Its edge-based software analyzes live feeds to identify firearms and send alerts within seconds to responders. Deployed in over 100 US school districts and hospitals, ZeroEyes integrates with existing CCTV systems and verifies detections via human review.


Founded

2018

HQ

United StatesPhiladelphia, PA

Status

Privately held

Customer focus

B2B

Revenue model

Subscription

ZeroEyes Funding History

ZeroEyes has raised a total of $102M across 6 funding rounds.

ZeroEyes' first fundraising round was a $3M seed round in February 2020. The most recent completed round was a $53M Series B in June 2024.

ZeroEyes funding rounds

ZeroEyes funding rounds
DateStageInvestorsRaisedDeal Summary
Jun 2024Series BAlumni Ventures (lead); Sorenson Capital (lead); BroadLight Capital; Intel Capital$53MZeroEyes develops an AI-based gun detection video analytics platform that integrates with existing security cameras to proactively identify firearms, provide human-verified alerts, and reduce response times to gun threats, holding U.S. Department of Homeland Security SAFETY Act Designation. The company targets sectors including K-12 education, commercial (retail, gaming, healthcare), transit, and government, with deployments in thousands of buildings across nearly 40-42 states for hundreds of customers, assisting in over ten arrests. In June 2024, ZeroEyes closed an oversubscribed $53.3 million Series B funding round led by Sorenson Capital, with participation from Intel Capital, BroadLight Capital, and existing investors including Alumni Ventures, bringing total funding raised since 2018 to nearly $100 million. Prior rounds included $20.9 million Series A in 2021 and $23 million in 2023. The new capital supports growth in channel partnerships, R&D, business expansion, and the Gun Violence Research Center. Around the round, ZeroEyes reported strong traction with 758% increase in enterprise customers and 300% in commercial customers from 2022-2023, revenue in the 'tens of millions' tracking to at least double in 2024, workforce doubling to 170 employees (expected to reach 220 by year-end), and 658% growth in Pennsylvania security cameras using the software. For 2023, the company announced 300% YoY revenue growth and 18% employee increase. Post-round developments included tripling the Operations Center size, 36% workforce growth, and 230% rise in channel partnerships in 2024, with continued expansion into DoD via ZE Government Solutions and state capitol deployments.
Aug 2023Undisclosed stageAlliance Holdings GP (lead); Octave Ventures LLC (lead)$23MZeroEyes develops AI-based gun detection video analytics software that integrates with existing digital security cameras to detect illegally brandished guns, sending images to a 24/7 U.S. military and law enforcement-staffed Operations Center for human verification and rapid alerts with actionable intelligence in 3-5 seconds. The platform holds the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's SAFETY Act Designation as a promising anti-terrorism technology and targets schools, commercial sectors like retail, gaming, and healthcare, and government through its subsidiary ZE Government Solutions (ZEGS), which has secured U.S. Department of Defense contracts. By August 2023, it was deployed in thousands of buildings for hundreds of customers across 37-40 states, contributing to over ten arrests via detections. On August 24, 2023, ZeroEyes announced an oversubscribed $23 million equity funding round led by Octave Ventures and Alliance Holdings GP, with participation from other existing investors, initially targeting $15 million but extended due to strong demand. The raise followed 300% year-over-year business or revenue growth, with CEO Mike Lahiff noting 360% growth and projections to double revenue by year-end 2023 and again in 2024. Funds are allocated to R&D, channel partnerships, business operations expansion, headquarters growth by 6,000 square feet in Conshohocken, and scaling the monitoring center amid surging demand driven by over 200 reported school shootings in 2023. The company ended 2023 with 300% YoY revenue growth, an 18% employee headcount increase to 155 staff, and expansion across K-12 education, commercial verticals, and national security applications. ZeroEyes positions itself as a proactive solution to mitigate gun violence epidemics, with growth fueled by public safety needs in education and beyond.
Aug 2021Series AOctave Ventures LLC (lead); Grateful Ventures; Alliance Holdings GP; Legion Cap; Alpha Intelligence Capital$21MZeroEyes is a Philadelphia-based AI startup founded by military veterans that develops an AI-based weapons detection platform using computer vision to identify guns in video feeds from existing security cameras, primarily targeting schools, retail, corporate campuses, government sites, malls, and casinos to prevent mass shootings. The platform alerts security personnel within seconds of detecting a firearm, aiming to act as an early warning system. On August 3, 2021, ZeroEyes announced a $20.9 million oversubscribed Series A funding round led by Octave Ventures LLC, with participation from Alliance Holdings, Alpha Intelligence Capital, and existing investors Grateful Ventures (also referred to as Grateful Investment Group) and Legion Capital. This round brought the company's total funding to $26.1 million, following a $5 million seed round in February 2021. The capital was intended to scale the platform amid rapid growth, particularly as schools resumed in-person instruction post-pandemic. The company had pivoted during the pandemic from a school-focused market to other verticals where it found product-market fit, driving demand. Investors highlighted ZeroEyes' military veteran-led team, societal impact, and leadership in AI weapons detection technology. Octave Ventures' founder Michael Kim emphasized the startup's potential to save lives beyond just AI tech. Later developments included additional funding like a $23 million round (possibly bridging) and a $53 million Series B in 2023-2024, with a Series B valuation of $298.36 million in June 2024, but these postdate the queried round.
Jan 2021Seed-$1M-
Oct 2020SeedGrateful Ventures (lead); Backswing Ventures; Natoma; Legion Cap$2M-
Feb 2020SeedNitesh Banta$3M-

Who has invested in ZeroEyes?

12 investors have backed ZeroEyes across its funding rounds, including Octave Ventures LLC, Legion Cap, Alliance Holdings GP, Grateful Ventures, Alumni Ventures and Intel Capital.

Lead investors include Alumni Ventures, Sorenson Capital, Alliance Holdings GP, Octave Ventures LLC and Grateful Ventures.


ZeroEyes Investors

Investors in ZeroEyes by funding rounds participated
InvestorHQRoundsRoleFirst check
Grateful VenturesUnited StatesPhoenix, AZ2LeadOct 2020
Octave Ventures LLCUnited StatesLas Vegas, NV2LeadAug 2021
Alliance Holdings GPUnited StatesTulsa, OK2LeadAug 2021
Legion CapUnited StatesUnited States2ParticipantOct 2020
BroadLight CapitalUnited StatesLos Angeles, CA1ParticipantJun 2024
Nitesh BantaUnited StatesNew York City, NY1ParticipantFeb 2020
Backswing VenturesUnited StatesPhiladelphia, PA1ParticipantOct 2020
Alumni VenturesUnited StatesUnited States1LeadJun 2024
Sorenson CapitalUnited StatesSalt Lake City, UT1LeadJun 2024
NatomaUnited StatesUnited States1ParticipantOct 2020

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ZeroEyes Competitors

ZeroEyes competitors include listed companies like Snowflake and Z.ai, and private ones like Anthropic, OpenAI, DeepSeek and Cognition.

Public and private companies comparable to ZeroEyes
CompanyHQStatusRevenueEBITDAValuationRevenue Multiple
AnthropicUnited StatesSan Francisco, CAPrivate$47B-$965B20.5x
OpenAIUnited StatesSan Francisco, CAPrivate$25B-$852B34.1x
SnowflakeUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$4.7B($1.3B)$119B21.0x
DeepSeekChinaHangzhouPrivate--$50B-
CognitionUnited StatesSan Francisco, CAPrivate$900M-$48B53.3x
Z.aiChinaChinaPublicly listed$108M($658M)$46B65.9x

ZeroEyes Public Comps

ZeroEyes is still privately-owned, but its public comps include Palantir, Snowflake, Z.ai, SECOM, IonQ, APi Group, MiniMax Group, Verisure, Securitas and MSA Safety.

Last FYEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
RevenueEBITDALast FYLTM2027ELast FYLTM2027E
Palantir$4.5B$1.5B92.6x58.1x285.0x97.4x
Snowflake$4.7B($1.3B)25.6x21.0x(94.1x)121.7x
Z.ai$108M($658M)422.9x65.9x(69.4x)(73.0x)
SECOM$8.1B$1.7B1.8x1.8x8.8x9.4x
IonQ$130M($531M)109.9x40.3x(26.9x)(39.1x)
APi Group$7.9B$881M2.4x2.2x21.5x16.2x
MiniMax Group$79M($1.9B)131.8x-(5.5x)-
Verisure$4.3B$1.5B3.9x3.6x11.7x8.1x

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Common questions about ZeroEyes

When was ZeroEyes founded?ZeroEyes was founded in 2018.
Where is ZeroEyes headquartered?ZeroEyes is headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, United States.
Is ZeroEyes publicly listed?No, ZeroEyes is a private, VC-backed company.
How much funding has ZeroEyes raised?ZeroEyes has raised $102M across 6 funding rounds.
What was ZeroEyes' last funding round?ZeroEyes' last funding round was a $53M Series B in June 2024, led by Alumni Ventures and Sorenson Capital.
Who are ZeroEyes' investors?ZeroEyes' investors include Grateful Ventures, Octave Ventures LLC, Alliance Holdings GP, Legion Cap, BroadLight Capital, Nitesh Banta, Backswing Ventures, Alumni Ventures, Sorenson Capital, Natoma and 2 others.
Which companies are comparable to ZeroEyes?Companies comparable to ZeroEyes include Anthropic, OpenAI, Snowflake, DeepSeek, Cognition and Z.ai.

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