Founded in 2018, Actuate is an North American AI company building computer vision software that turns any security camera into an intruder- and threat-detecting smart camera, providing facilities with safer, cost-effective, end-to-end security automation. Actuate AI video analytics software identifies threats including guns, intruders, and loiterers, alerting security teams and providing organizations with safer, cost-efficient, end-to-end security management. In the end, false positives are reduced by as much as 99 percent, according to the company.

Founded by CEO Sonny Tai, a U.S. Marine Corps captain and Chief Technology Officer Ben Ziomek, a Microsoft AI veteran, Actuate’s technology was developed in collaboration with law enforcement, educators, and the military. Tai’s passion for prevention comes from his upbringing in South Africa, where family friends were part of the country’s high gun violence statistics. 

According to the company, about 90 perfect of organizations have security cameras yet many cameras are unmonitored and most data goes unused. When information is needed, the retrieval process is often slow and unnecessarily difficult. Further, simple security systems frequently report false positives that incorrectly identify threats. Alternative solutions, such as advanced facial recognition systems, can be costly.

Actuate’s AI-based computer vision software supports data-driven security decisions and enhanced vigilance through automation and analytics. The low-bandwidth, cloud-based computer vision software can be easily integrated into existing security cameras without requiring on-site installation or additional hardware. Actuate’s solution is compliant by design and has been purposely built to respect privacy and avoid algorithmic and user bias. The software is currently deployed on nearly 10,000 cameras across 1,000 sites.

Actuate differs from its competitors in its accuracy, user-friendliness and cyber hardness. Actuate’s AI software identifies guns with approximately 99 percent accuracy using existing cameras and hardware. Actuate detects weapons as soon as they are visible on camera and issues alarms before shots are fired. This gives building security staff and law enforcement time to address potentially violent situations.

Companies don’t have to spend money on more analysts or new software to analyze data gathered from the security camera systems. Actuate’s software provides a dashboard that gives daily or weekly reports of what is being detected. 

For example, if used in an office building to track the number of people who wear masks, the dashboard will show what percentage of people are wearing masks on each floor or in different parts of the building. This can also be used for contact tracing. 

Actuate uses Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, and Azure to host its AI engine, freeing IT from worrying about the Actuate platform’s security.

Actuate’s analytical software also helps decrease network downtime which reduces the potential risk of an intruder going unnoticed. It also allows the client to know which cameras need to be fixed and can dispatch field technicians to the highest risk cameras first, speeding the resolution of issues.

In April 2021, Actuate announced a Series A funding round led by Tribeca Venture Partners and joined by Scribble Ventures, with additional support from existing investors, including Upside Partnership, Bling Capital, Tensility Venture Partners, and OCA Ventures. Actuate’s business experienced 10 times growth from May 2020 to April 2021. Actuate recently achieved $5 million in annual revenue. The company has 50 employees and counting.

Actuate’s analytics are deployed on more than 10,000 camera systems at over 1,000 sites, including schools, U.S. Army facilities, and offices. 

Actuate is planning to release two new software features this year, and the details are still in the works.

Learn more about Actuate by visiting the company’s website.