NEW YORK – Verizon, in partnership with Responder Corp, today unveiled the five companies that make up the third and final group of innovative startups for 2019 known as “Cohort 3” for the 5G First Responder Lab program at #OCR2019. Launched in November 2018, the 5G First Responder Lab is a first-of-its-kind innovation program that identifies promising technology companies from around the globe and gives them access to 5G technology to develop, test and refine their 5G solutions for public safety. The startups in Cohort 3 will focus on developing Artificial Intelligence (AI) for weapon detection, geo-intelligence, autonomous security and smart cities solutions, all powered by Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband.
The startups in Cohort 3 were unveiled at #OCR2019, the three-day public safety event hosted by Verizon and Nokia, where cutting-edge technology for public safety is showcased in live simulations by real first responders and government officials. Designed to display how the latest emerging technologies can help save lives in times of crisis, the event features an immersive series of six realistic crisis scenarios that allow industry and government stakeholders to experience firsthand how advanced technologies can work under pressure in a crisis.
“As our final cohort of the year, we’re excited to welcome Cohort 3 to the 5G First Responder Lab,” said Nick Nilan, director of public safety product development, Verizon. “The innovative technologies developed and fostered by Cohorts 1 and 2 will make an incredible difference in the market and we can’t wait to see what Cohort 3 develops during their time in the Lab.”
The startups participating in this cohort include:
- Edgybees: Augments live video feeds captured from any camera, human input or other data sources to provide clarity on operational environments
- Ekin: Developing revolutionary software and hardware with artificial intelligence to make modern cities safer and smarter
- Knightscope: Developing autonomous security capabilities including self-driving technology, robotics and artificial intelligence
- Lumineye: Provides wall-penetrating radar sensing to help first responders identify people through walls
- Zeroeyes: Developed a life-saving active shooter solution that uses Artificial Intelligence to actively monitor camera feeds to detect weapons
“We're excited for the great things ahead with Cohort 3 and look forward to finishing the first year of this program strong,” said Nathanial Wish, co-founder & CEO, Responder Corp. “Each cohort has brought a wealth of innovation to the table, ultimately helping to create advanced solutions with potentially life-saving technologies that are built on Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband.”
The 5G First Responder Lab has brought together a total of 15 innovators in three separate cohorts who will work at Verizon’s 5G Lab in Washington, D.C. to develop public safety solutions over the last year. Cohort 3 marks the third and final cohort for the first year of the program.
Previous cohorts brought together technologies that focused on advanced imaging, drones, virtual reality (VR) training and education for public safety and smart city technology. The announcement of Cohort 3 comes on the heels of Verizon’s Cohort 2 Experience Day, a showcase experience in Washington D.C. where the first responder community, public servants and state and federal officials came together to view demonstrations from the five Cohort 2 companies.
Innovators and entrepreneurs can learn more and apply for future cohorts at 5GFirstResponderLab.com.
