Arkeus raises $4.45 million to replace outdated emergency response tech

Melbourne optical radar startup Arkeus has completed a successful $4.45 million seed round, led by deep tech venture capital firm Main Sequence and joined by Steve Baxter’s Beaten Zone Venture Partners and Salus Ventures.

Arkeus’ technology is already gaining traction in the defence sector with multiple contracts, but it is not limited to military applications. Operating in general high-risk environments, it also extends to disaster recovery, search and rescue missions, border and security.

According to the company, these situations are often hindered by outdated technology that is significantly affected by bad weather and dark environments.

As a solution, Arkeus has created a Hyperspectral Optical Radar (HS-OR) system to provide real-time understanding and response capabilities for these high-pressure environments.

According to Arkeus, it has been designed to provide real-time understanding and response capabilities in mission-critical environments. It promises a breakthrough, offering a wide spectrum of visible and non-visible light data, enabling autonomous real-time detection and tracking.

“Our solution sees what conventional systems miss. Advanced AI analysis delivers instant orientation, threat detection, and trajectory tracking – empowering teams to act decisively and with speed,” Simon Olsen, CEO and co-founder of Arkeus, said to SmartCompany.

Olsen says that AI views the world differently, and Arkeus’ optical system can provide a view that human eyes simply can’t.

“Our optical systems see the world through large numbers of light spectrums all at once – it is akin to having 100 human operators view 100 different cameras all showing different perspectives of the environment, with different lenses, simultaneously,” Olsen said.

Olsen reiterates that this allows for immediate information and context transfer.

“The effect of all this is transforming drone operations on air, land and sea; and helping our customers make decisions faster and save lives.”

However, the journey hasn’t been without challenges. Olsen candidly discussed obstacles like COVID-19’s impact on supply chains and the struggle against traditional systems.

“We have resolved each of these challenges by retaining a simple focus on two key principles – generating a transformative effect for our customers and finding a way to get the job done, regardless of the challenge in front,” Olsen said.

Addressing Arkeus’ future plans, Olsen shared insights into Arkeus’ global aspirations. The company is eyeing expansion into the US market, where interest in its technology is already budding. Arkeus is also exploring new applications of its technology.

“We have had interest from customers seeking solutions for fire fighting (and prevention), wildlife protection, and precision agriculture from both in Australia and around the world,” Olsen said.

With this new funding, Arkeus plans to scale manufacturing and further enhance its product suite.

“Up to this point, the founding team has self-funded Arkeus. Now, with the backing of these expert investors and their domain knowledge, we can accelerate our progress significantly. Their commitment validates the hard work we have put into building this company over the past few years,” Olsen said.