New York-based physical AI safety startup Firefly has raised $20 million in Series A funding led by Definition Capital, with participation from BoxGroup and existing investor Susa Ventures. The company announced the funding on October 20, 2026, alongside its emergence from stealth.
The round marks BoxGroup’s third investment in Firefly. Susa Ventures previously led the startup’s seed funding round.
Founded in 2024 by James Batt Buckley and Alex Penn, Firefly develops AI-powered safety technology for organizations operating physical facilities. Buckley serves as co-founder and CEO, while Penn is co-founder and CTO.
Firefly’s platform combines AI software, dedicated hardware and existing infrastructure, including cameras, sensors and communication systems, to help organizations detect incidents, manage safety operations and coordinate emergency responses.
Its Ember Safety Platform brings information from multiple safety systems into a unified interface. The company’s hardware products include panic buttons and gunshot detection devices, designed to support incident identification and communication between safety teams.
Before founding Firefly, Buckley worked on the alarms business at security technology company Verkada. Penn previously spent nearly a decade at Apple, where he held engineering leadership roles.
Firefly has deployed its technology at Front Range Community College in Colorado, integrating safety information across three campuses to help security personnel assess incidents and coordinate responses.
The company plans to use the Series A funding to develop additional physical AI products, recruit employees across engineering, machine learning and go-to-market functions, and expand its presence among educational institutions, healthcare organizations and enterprise customers.
