The world is increasingly reliant on real-time security solutions, businesses often find themselves constrained by outdated systems that fail to meet modern safety demands. While security cameras are ubiquitous, many operate in isolation—disconnected, archaic, and reactive rather than proactive. Yet, despite the widespread presence of over 80 million security cameras in the U.S. alone, most remain underutilized—recording hours of footage that sit idle on hard drives, offering little to no real-time value.
Crazy fact:
— CoramAIOfficial (@Coram_AI) January 15, 2025
In the US, around 87% of burglaries remain uncleared (no arrests, no suspects).
Think how much lower that number would be if every victim had a reliable way to gather video evidence against the intruder.#SecurityInsights #PhysicalSecurityFacts #CrimeData
Coram AI, a San Francisco-based startup founded in 2022, which is rethinking the role of security cameras by integrating Generative AI to transform them into intelligent, proactive tools.
Coram AI recently secured a $13.8 million Series A funding round led by Battery Ventures, with participation from 8VC and Mosaic Ventures. This funding will enable the company to scale its product development, grow its engineering and go-to-market teams, and expand its AI-powered video security platform into new industries and applications.
Passive Recorders to Virtual Security Guards
Coram AI’s vision is simple yet transformative: turn every security camera into a “virtual employee.” The platform uses large vision and language models to provide real-time analysis of video footage, allowing cameras to function as proactive observers rather than passive recorders. By working seamlessly with existing IP cameras, Coram eliminates the need for costly hardware upgrades, making advanced security accessible to organizations of all sizes.
“Businesses that run the US economy use security cameras that are either extremely archaic or not connected,” said Ashesh Jain, CEO and co-founder of Coram AI. “Coram brings modern software to existing security cameras with generative AI, and soon, every camera will be as intelligent as a human being. Every business can have hundreds of virtual employees.”
Coram’s platform offers a range of applications, including real-time safety alerts, operational insights, and natural language search capabilities. A school, for instance, can receive an instant alert if a person carrying a firearm is detected on campus. In industrial settings, cameras can flag slip-and-fall incidents to improve workplace safety. Investigations, which traditionally require hours of footage review, can now be completed in seconds using Coram’s natural language search, which indexes every frame for quick retrieval.
The Series A funding round was led by Marcus Ryu, partner at Battery Ventures and former co-founder and CEO of Guidewire Software. For Ryu, Coram’s blend of innovative technology and the expertise of its co-founders made the investment compelling.
“Video AI holds the promise to put a highly vigilant digital observer behind each of the many millions of cameras watching over our workplaces, schools, and public spaces,” Ryu said. “With the right approach, this can enhance both our safety and our privacy by focusing detection only on dangerous or unlawful behavior.”
Jain and Peter Ondruska, Coram’s co-founder and CTO, bring a wealth of experience to the table. Both hold Ph.D.s—Jain in computer science from Cornell University and Ondruska in robotics from Oxford University. The duo met while working in Lyft’s self-driving car division, where they honed their skills in machine learning and computer vision.
Real-World Applications Driving Adoption
The applications of Coram’s technology span multiple sectors, including education, logistics, and manufacturing. Schools, for instance, can benefit from instant alerts in the event of a potential threat, such as an individual carrying a weapon. Manufacturing plants can use the platform to review safety incidents, helping managers implement preventative measures.
Coram’s solution also addresses more specialized needs. It can detect license plates, recognize faces, and flag known offenders. The company already counts the Middletown Unified School District in California and PCC Community Markets in Washington among its clients, showcasing the versatility of its platform.
The platform’s ability to deliver real-time alerts is proving invaluable. For example, in K-12 schools, Coram can immediately notify administrators if an armed individual is detected on campus. In manufacturing plants, the software can flag safety violations, such as unreported slip-and-fall incidents, and provide operational insights to reduce waste and improve efficiency. Coram can also recognize faces, detect license plates, and issue alerts when a known offender is spotted on the premises.
Coram’s approach to security is not only about addressing threats but also about improving the way businesses operate. By offering seamless integration with existing camera systems, the platform minimizes infrastructure overhead while delivering cutting-edge capabilities.
The Vision for IoT
While Coram’s initial focus is on video security, its ambitions go far beyond. Jain hopes of a future where generative AI powers a suite of IoT products designed to support IT and physical security teams. These tools will not only enhance safety but also drive operational efficiency, making environments smarter and more responsive.
“We are at an inflection point with AI, where every camera can become as intelligent as a human,” Jain explained. “This capability offers businesses the opportunity to have hundreds of virtual employees in the form of cameras, driving economic growth while enhancing safety.”
Coram is also preparing to launch new features and products in the coming year. One of the first is the AI-powered gun detection software, designed to provide instant alerts during critical incidents. Other developments will aim to further integrate Coram’s platform with IoT devices, creating a comprehensive security and operations ecosystem.
We’re thrilled to announce one of our most significant product updates at Coram AI: real-time weapon detection and alerts, now available to all our customers.https://t.co/lHuRGFyHBz
— CoramAIOfficial (@Coram_AI) August 12, 2024
“With the new generation of AI, human-level understanding of video is finally possible,” Jain said. “We envision cameras evolving far beyond being mere video recorders—they will become a constant pair of eyes that keeps the public safe and secure in a privacy-sensitive manner. We’re excited to bring the breakthroughs in large vision models to public safety.”