AURA, a South African lifesaving technology platform, has raised €13.5 million ($14.6 million) in Series B funding to drive its expansion into the United States and broaden its global footprint, aiming to operate in nearly 50 countries within two years.
The round was co-led by the Cathay AfricInvest Innovation Fund (CAIF) and global venture capital firm Partech, bringing AURA’s total funding to €21 million ($22.8 million). The fresh capital will support product scale, deepen international partnerships, and integrate AURA’s emergency tech across a growing number of consumer-facing applications.
Founded in 2017, AURA, which operates in South Africa, Kenya, the United Kingdom, and the U.S., offers emergency response services through its smart auto-dispatch and routing platform. The platform enables people in emergencies to connect to emergency response via mobile apps and integrated panic buttons with the nearest vetted private security and medical responders.
“AURA addresses the challenge that, traditionally, access to private security or ambulance services is expensive and limited to those who can afford monthly contracts and alarm systems,” Warren Myers, AURA’s founder and CEO, told TechCabal. “Our solution democratises access to safety by enabling anyone with a phone to access rapid emergency response at an affordable subscription rate.”
Aura operates a business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C) model, charging a per-user, per-month subscription fee. The company partners with resellers and distributors such as insurance companies, security companies, monitoring centers, and app providers that offer access to emergency response services through white-labeled apps and panic buttons.
The company also partners with companies such as Uber, FNB, Samsung, and traditional security and ambulance companies to integrate its technology with armed response and ambulance companies, allowing them to monetise their idle capacity by being available on AURA’s platform.
AURA is betting on the fundamental human need for safety and the growing prevalence of mobile phones, which allows them to democratise access to emergency response services at a low monthly cost. The platform currently has 1.2 million paying subscribers globally. In South Africa alone, it estimates that 20 million mobile phone users fall within its target market based on its ZAR 40–ZAR 50 monthly pricing ($2.20–$2.70), suggesting significant room to grow.
“South Africa has an addressable market of 46 million mobile users,” Myers said.
The emergency response market is growing rapidly in both developed and emerging economies. In South Africa, alarm response revenue is projected to reach $121.4 million by 2025, according to Statista. The U.S., where AURA is now prioritising expansion, represents a $7 billion market, according to Myers.
“In markets like the UK and US, police are stepping back from responding to unverified alarms owing to pressure on time and resources,” he said. “This creates a huge opportunity for private sector players to fill the gap.”
AURA claims to have pioneered the on-demand emergency response marketplace at scale in Africa and the U.K., and now wants to replicate that momentum in the U.S., where consumer safety platforms are fragmented and largely tied to traditional alarm systems. The company plans to leverage partnerships with major tech brands and insurance providers to embed its technology into phones, wearables, and other smart devices.
“Our goals are to make alarm verification faster, homes and businesses safer, and to help law enforcement focus on higher-priority incidents,” Myers said.
