SA-born AURA raises €13.5m (R270m) Series B to take on US emergency response market

South African emergency tech startup AURA has secured €13.5 million (~R270 million) in Series B funding, marking a major milestone in its mission to democratise access to private emergency response services. The round was co-led by Cathay AfricInvest Innovation Fund (CAIF) and global VC Partech, bringing AURA’s total funding to date to €21 million (~R420 million).

Founded in 2017 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 built South Africa’s largest private emergency response network, with over 3,000 responders on its platform.

The latest raise will fuel AURA’s expansion into the United States—a market with growing demand for private security alternatives amid stretched public services. The company has already soft-launched its on-demand private security model in the US, aiming to streamline alarm verification, reduce response times, and support law enforcement by filtering out non-priority incidents.

“Having built a profitable and trusted presence in the UK and Africa, we’re now ready to take personal safety global,” said Warren Myers, CEO of AURA. “This funding marks a pivotal moment. Our mission is to make access to life-saving services seamless, borderless, and available through a single API.”

The startup is also developing a “global clearing house” for emergency response—an ambitious platform to facilitate borderless emergency dispatch through its unified API.

Strong investor backing

CAIF, which first backed AURA in 2022, doubled down on its investment in the Series B round.

“We trust the team’s powerful vision and extraordinary execution capabilities as it scales its life-saving technology to the U.S. market and across the world,” said Patricia Rinke, Investment Director at CAIF.

Partech, which joins the cap table for the first time, lauded the innovation being built in South Africa.

“AURA has been one of the most innovative players globally in the emergency response and security industry,” said Matthieu Marchand, Principal at Partech. “It’s only the beginning.”

Tackling global safety with African-born tech

AURA’s growth also aligns with broader global development goals. The company says its impact contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals around health (SDG 3) and safe communities (SDG 11). To date, AURA claims it has saved over 7,500 lives and currently secures more than 200,000 properties, with over 1.2 million users connected to its emergency platform.

The platform can be integrated into consumer-facing services via API, WhatsApp, apps, or IoT devices, allowing businesses to offer on-demand emergency support as a value-added service.

With fresh funding, a foothold in three continents, and growing recognition for its scalable tech, AURA is positioning itself not just as a South African success story—but as a global safety infrastructure provider.

For more: https://aura.services