German security startups expands footprint in SA 

SEON, a German security startup has secured R55-million in funding from numerous private investors through a German government-funded venture. 

SEON plans to invest the funding in providing high tech security solutions to emergency responders

The startup plans to utilise the funding towards advanced software development and to expand its presence in the South African market. 

Finn Plotz, co-founder and managing director at SEON explains that the startup’s services will provide a much-needed service to South Africans. 

“South Africa is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places in the world, but also one of the most dangerous,” says Plotz. “We have chosen the country as the best place in the world to invest in, due to its thriving tech ecosystem and its high levels of awareness around personal security. We believe the nature of our platform – which improves emergency response coordination – can help enhance security and health responses for all citizens.”

SEON

Founded in 2017, the high tech security startup’s services enables emergency services to rapidly respond. 

“In an emergency, every second matters. We are providing first responders with the tools they need to receive alerts sooner, instantly dispatch resources, and communicate effectively,” explains Plotz

With offices located in Cape Town, SEON has offered its high-tech security services to the Cape Town Central City Improvement District (CCID), with a quick response device that prompts CCID patrollers with users’ exact GPS location to assist. 

 

 

Providing a solution

A 2017 household survey conducted by StatsSA has indicated the following: 

• In the Western Cape, it takes local police on average less than 30 minutes to respond to an emergency 
• In the North West, the majority of the households surveyed indicated that it takes the police longer than two hours to arrive at an emergency. 

A delayed response time to various emergencies can mean life or death and SEON’s innovative technology aims to speed up response time for locals in distress. 

Plotz explains that the increased investment in South Africa aims to foster coordination with emergency services to ensure that response time to any crisis is faster and more efficient. 

“Response times have a massive impact on community safety, and any improvement we can make here will directly benefit local communities. As part of our investment into South Africa, we are partnering with armed response security companies and public safety services to also improve collaboration between different providers in an effort to ensure every South African experiencing an emergency can get the help they need, quickly.”

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Featured image: Finn Plotz, co-founder and managing director at SEON (Supplied)