Actor Jeremy Renner has decided to invest in public safety tech provider RapidSOS, and become what the company calls a “brand partner.”
Since its launch in 2012, the company has raised more than $450 million.
That includes a $100 million round announced in November, and a $150 million round just more than a year ago — an amount that included $75 million from BlackRock.
The RapidSOS president and COO, Jose Mejia, wouldn’t say how much money Renner is putting into the pot, and a spokesperson for the company said he couldn’t be reached because he was on set.
Renner’s accident took place Jan. 1, 2023, in Nevada.
After the more than 14,000-pound snowcat hit him — Renner reportedly was trying to save his nephew from the machine, whose parking brake was not engaged — he “briefly died,” according to his memoirs.
Renner developed a strong affinity for the people who saved him, according to Mejia.
“Jeremy has a genuine, personal connection to first responders — one that long predates his 2023 accident,” he told Government Technology via email. “But his accident and then his work with RapidSOS have influenced how he understands this community and what they need to do their jobs. The agencies that responded to his emergency now use RapidSOS.”
Like its competitors, RapidSOS is busy trying to bring more AI into public safety while also using technology — and acquisition — to bring more features to emergency dispatch.
“Our first responders and health-care workers put their lives on the line every day. Being able to help our helpers is personally important to me,” Renner said in a statement. “What they need is the right information, at the right moment. When they have it, they can come together and problem-solve.”
The deal with Renner involves a bit of Hollywood: A short documentary called Behind the Emergency that features the actor and is set to premiere April 29.
As the statement describes it, “the documentary follows Renner’s journey of discovery into the world of modern emergency response and the technology that supports it. Beginning with his personal survival story, it explores the life-saving work of first responders and health-care professionals and how mission-critical tools support them.”
The deal with Renner could help RapidSOS further stand out in this crowded part of the gov tech industry by using his “platform” to show people what’s involved in modern emergency dispatch and response, Mejia said.
“What he brings is awareness — and a human way to talk about a problem most people don’t know exists,” he said. “Life-saving data is fragmented across closed, disconnected systems. It doesn’t reach first responders at the moment it’s needed.”
More than 23,000 agencies in 16 countries use RapidSOS.
