{"id":340257,"date":"2017-05-07T01:03:17","date_gmt":"2017-05-06T17:03:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/techcrunch.com\/?p=1486237"},"modified":"2017-05-07T01:03:17","modified_gmt":"2017-05-06T17:03:17","slug":"fortem-raises-5-5-million-to-hunt-and-take-down-unwanted-drones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/fortem-raises-5-5-million-to-hunt-and-take-down-unwanted-drones\/","title":{"rendered":"Fortem raises $5.5 million to hunt and take down unwanted drones"},"content":{"rendered":"

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After drones became available to private citizens around the world, bad actors found ways to use them for nefarious purposes<\/a> like spying on corporations, carrying contraband across borders and into prison yards, and sadly, turning the aerial robots into weapons.\u00a0Drone crashes<\/a> also put people and property in harm\u2019s way.<\/p>\n

Provo, Utah-based Fortem Technologies Inc.<\/a> has raised $5.5 million in a new round of seed funding\u00a0to keep the skies, and people below, safe as we enter the drone era. Signia Venture Partners<\/a> and Data Collective<\/a> (DCVC) led the deal.<\/p>\n

The so-called counter drone market is bustling with activity. Other startups in this category include: Airspace<\/a>, Guard From Above<\/a>, and threat detection firms like Department 13<\/a> or Dedrone<\/a> to name just a few.<\/p>\n

Signia Partner Ed Cluss and DCVC Managing Partner Matt Ocko said Fortem\u2019s approach is differentiated from others thanks to\u00a0its proprietary radar technology.<\/p>\n

According to Fortem CEO Timothy Bean, the company has developed a compact radar which enables drones to detect fast-moving aircraft up to 3,000 meters away. The idea is to ensure that as drones enter our airspace, they stay well-clear from one another and manned aircraft, even traveling at 100 miles per hour.<\/p>\n

Fortem acquired its core radar technology in 2016 from IMSAR, and over the last year has adapted it so that the system can be exported around the world, leased or purchased outright\u00a0within the typical security budget for a variety of venues, and can work with any security-grade drones.<\/p>\n

DCVC\u2019s Matt Ocko said, \u201cFortem\u2019s\u00a0radar uses less power than a light bulb, and has similar capabilities to one of those building-sized radars that you saw crouching ominously in the Arctic in the late 90s.\u201d He views Fortem as a startup that will make \u201cBLOS,\u201d safe and acceptable to regulators. In the trade, BLOS means drones flying autonomously beyond a human operator\u2019s line of sight.<\/p>\n