In September 2024, Hurricane Helene, a devastating tropical cyclone, caused widespread destruction and fatalities across the Southeastern United States. One such affected region was Asheville, North Carolina. Public safety drone start-up Paladin stood up amid the dire situation as the venture’s 30-member team jumped into action working nights and through the weekend to assist Asheville’s police department with locating people and dropping off supplies.
As per Paladin founder and CEO Divy Shrivastava, the start-up’s in-house software proved its mettle in the rescue efforts, by controlling drones remotely from the company’s Houston headquarters. This allowed the relief workers to reach out to the affected public despite Asheville’s closed roads and lack of cell phone/internet service on the ground.
Today’s episode of International Finance’s “Start-up of the Week” will talk about Paladin in detail, as the latter, through its successful application of “Public Safety Drones” during the post-cyclone relief and rehabilitation efforts, gave a sneak peek of how the industry would respond against an “Act of God” in the coming days.
An Ohio Fire That Gave Rise To Paladin
The start-up’s “Next Generation of Autonomous Drones” are equipped with the latest in LTE (Long Term Evolution)-enabled drone technology, using which responders can increase their situational awareness, operate more effectively, and save lives during calamities.
Shrivastava, who spent most of his childhood in an Ohio town, witnessed a fire in 2016, in which a close friend’s house was burned down. After talking to the local fire chief, he learnt two important facts: a fire doubles in size every 30 seconds and first responders never get enough information on the calamity when they arrive on the scene. This is because when someone calls 911, they either remain panicked or are not trained to assess a scene.
After another fire burned down a campus church during his first year at Berkeley, Divy set out to found Paladin with a single mission: sending autonomous drones to 911 calls to give first responders a live overhead view of an emergency before they arrive, thereby helping these individuals to increase situational awareness, decrease response times, and save lives.
Shrivastava began working on the idea in college before dropping out to do the Thiel Fellowship, an incubator programme led by former PayPal CEO Peter Thiel.
Paladin was launched in 2018 and started selling its public safety drones in 2021. Since then, the company has reportedly landed contracts with dozens of public safety departments, and is seeing its revenue nearly double quarter over quarter.
Recently, Paladin announced several new capabilities for its drone software. One notable feature allows drones to deliver supplies, such as life vests, to locations indicated by 911 calls. Additionally, drones can now detect and navigate around other aircraft.
These advancements not only help reduce the response time to 911 calls but also assist authorities in clearing 10-25% of calls that are either false or do not require a response. This improvement is significant, especially given that police departments across the United States are facing shortages of officers and resources.
“The majority of departments have less than 50 sworn officers. One piece of technology that is making you 25% more efficient is significant. What is sometimes easy to forget is majority of the country is very small towns with limited resources. These are problems they see all the time,” Shrivastava added.
Paladin’s vision is clear: To have a UAV responding to every 911 call in the United States by 2027.
How The Technology Works
Paladin’s software is designed to work with any drone, and to be easy to use. When a 911 dispatcher gets a call, a Paladin-powered drone is dispatched within 90 seconds to the scene of the call. The public safety department can then see the situation from its office to determine what kinds of resources need to be sent, if any.
The start-up offers drones, software, and a data management platform, along with obtaining all necessary waivers from the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) on behalf of the police department. This ensures compliance with federal regulations regarding the use of drones during emergencies.
At the core of the start-up’s line-up of “Public Safety Drones,” we have “Paladin EXT,” which is an innovative LTE module designed to extend the operating range of DJI M30T or M350 drones. By connecting a drone to cellular networks, the user can continue Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations with unmatched reliability. “Paladin EXT” comes with real-time video streaming, telemetry, and situational awareness without relying on traditional radio frequencies, making critical missions more efficient and ensuring first responders can reach further, faster.
Next is “Watchtower,” a centralised control mechanism for drone operations, which serves as a response software that consolidates all the client’s (the police department) operations into one platform.
“With Watchtower, you can control LTE-enabled drones, manage live video streams, and oversee all mission-critical data from anywhere in the country. Whether deploying drones autonomously or manually, Watchtower acts as a force multiplier, providing real-time intelligence to help First Responders make informed decisions faster,” Paladin described its response software in these following words.
Talking about Paladin’s “Public Safety Drones,” the start-up provides its clients DJI M30T and M350, which are high-performance drones designed for rapid deployment and advanced aerial support. Fitted with Paladin EXT for LTE connectivity, these drones offer extended range and reliable live streaming capabilities, essential for mission-critical operations. Equipped with advanced imaging sensors, the M30T and document number 1 provide exceptional situational awareness, enabling First Responders to rapidly assess and respond to incidents.
To provide autonomous response for critical missions, Paladin’s “Knighthawk” seamlessly integrates with Watchtower and the Paladin EXT, to provide real-time data and aerial support before personnel arrive on the scene.
Through its “DJI Dock 1,” Paladin enables autonomous take-off, landing, and recharging for DJI drones, ensuring 24/7 availability. The solution is also temperature-regulated to operate in various conditions, providing rapid deployment and continuous operations, enhancing response efficiency for public safety and critical monitoring needs.
Simplifying The FAA Waiver Process
Paladin simplifies the FAA waiver process to help public safety agencies operate drones Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS), by handling processes like securing Certificates of Authorisation (COA/JCOA) to obtaining BVLOS 91.113(b) exemptions. This allows government departments to operate drones remotely, providing faster response times during emergencies.
BVLOS operations enable drones to be deployed and controlled without requiring a pilot to maintain a direct line of sight. This significantly enhances operational capabilities, enabling the use of drones across wider areas from a centralised command centre. Waivers related to such operations also open up logistical and operational advantages, such as using a fleet of drones for autonomous responses, which can result in a more efficient emergency response.
Paladin’s technology includes fail-safes to mitigate BVLOS risks. If the drone loses cellular connection, it automatically returns to its home base. The LTE connection, on the other hand, ensures reliable coverage up to the FAA’s three-mile limit, reducing connectivity risks.
The start-up also trains members in public service departments to become Visual Observers (VOs), thereby enabling them to fly the drone beyond the Pilot-in-Command’s (PIC) line of sight. The VOs also maintain communication with the PIC to report hazards in the surrounding airspace, making BVLOS and DFR operations safe and cost-effective.
As part of its process of securing BVLOS waivers, Paladin works with departments to create a CONOPS, a detailed plan outlining how drones will be used safely, the intended missions, safety protocols, and mitigation strategies for risks.
The waiver application process generally takes four to eight weeks. Paladin manages the paperwork, ensuring that all FAA requirements are met. It works closely with the client department to determine which hardware and software solutions best fit their operational requirements, considering factors like battery life, range, and local geographic conditions.
The start-up then provides the drone, software, and data management platform. The “Watchtower DFR” platform has become intuitive and ideal for managing high-stress autonomous flight missions.
All flight data gets automatically logged to the cloud, allowing easy access and reporting, minimising administrative burden.
The Road Ahead
Paladin recently raised a USD 5.2 million seed round led by Gradient, Google’s early-stage AI fund, with participation from Khosla Ventures, 1517, and Toyota Ventures, among others. The raise will be used to continue to build out the start-up’s software capabilities, and to put resources toward getting the company’s “name out there more,” CEO Divy Shrivastava told TechCrunch.
Interest in using technology to improve public safety has recently surged among entrepreneurs. One such startup, Prepared, is working to establish its presence in this sector. The company is developing a system designed to assist 911 dispatchers by providing a more comprehensive view of incidents through video footage. Prepared has successfully raised over $70 million in venture capital.
Meanwhile, Shrivastava and Paladin have emerged as pioneers in leveraging technology to streamline public safety efforts. There has been a notable increase in demand from public safety departments, and the startup is now receiving multiple requests for its technology each week.
“We are still early in terms of the entire market. We are in dozens of cities right now and have scaled pretty quickly, but that is less than 0.1% of the market,” Shrivastava concluded.