Longan Vision Corp., The Forge client, has received seed round funding from 15th Rock Ventures. The Tokyo based VC firm invests in Human Augmentation projects with the goal of improving people’s physical abilities and extending their healthy lifespan, creating a more affluent society.
Longan Vision is producing a Fusion Vision System (FVS) that is a mixed-reality visor or head-up display (HUD) to help firefighters and those working in extreme environments to safely and efficiently navigate dimly lit and smoke-filled environments. Unlike traditional handheld devices, FVS is hands-free and easily attaches to any firefighting helmet brand without obstructing the field of view.
In response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Longan Vision also adapted their existing technology and launched “Gatekeeper” for use in several businesses within Hamilton. Gatekeeper uses unique thermal imaging technology that enables users to monitor numerous people’s body temperature rapidly. The AI thermal camera detects whether a person has an elevated body temperature while maintaining distance from the person being screened.
15th Rock Ventures’ investment in the company’s seed round will support this McMaster based startup to further expand their company and ensure Longan Vision has the support to become an integral part of the future of first responder safety for the coming years.
“Longan Vision is honoured to have received investment from 15th Rock Ventures. This investment is a huge milestone for our company as it shows our technology is not just a potential or an idea but a real, important solution. The funds will help propel our prototype into a market-ready product for mid-2021” says Enzo Jia, CEO and Co-Founder of Longan Vision.
“The journey from design to production has been long, but with the support of 15th Rock Ventures, we are now ready to turn up the heat on the future of firefighting with the Fusion Vision System (FVS) not only in Canada, Japan but also globally.”
The press release was published on 15th Rock Ventures’ website on October 16, 2020 .