Pioneering the Next-Generation of Safety with Computer Vision

Each year, nearly 3 million people die due to workplace accidents, and another 374 million are injured. Today, workplace safety is typically handled manually, with shift supervisors patrolling floors with a clipboard.

That means they’re only able to record incidents they see or those that have been reported by others. As a result, environmental health and safety (EHS) teams are often unable to diagnose and mitigate potential workplace hazards before they occur, and instead operate with an inaccurate picture of their safety environment. As missed incidents and unreported behaviors compound, the results can be disastrous.

What if instead of relying on occasional manual safety reviews, you could have 24/7 visibility to prevent such accidents? Intenseye founders Sercan Esen and Serhat Cilidag saw an opportunity to tackle this problem using computer vision and AI.

The Intenseye computer vision platform has the potential to eliminate unsafe working conditions on a global scale, saving millions of lives while dramatically improving EHS operations. It’s why we at Lightspeed are excited to announce that we are leading Intenseye’s $64 million Series B round.

Intenseye’s unique approach to workplace safety 

Despite the growing complexities of regulatory landscapes and heightened global awareness around workplace safety, software for environmental health and safety teams remains archaic. Last year companies spent nearly $50 billion on EHS platforms, yet the safety of millions of frontline workers has not improved.

Intenseye enables teams to transform EHS from a reactive behavior to a preventative one. By constantly analyzing real-time video feeds, Intenseye automatically records and flags all potential safety violations and hazards, giving teams a clear picture of their organization’s safety posture and full confidence in how to improve it.

Armed with complete knowledge around their frontline practices and behaviors, EHS teams are now better equipped to accurately pinpoint issues and recommend fixes. Additionally, Intenseye can also deliver alarms that visually and audibly notify workers of critical hazards in real-time, dramatically reducing the chances of accident or injury. Moreover, Intenseye’s offering seamlessly integrates with existing facility video camera solutions and requires zero effort from frontline workers, meaning companies can start benefiting from enhanced EHS practices on day one.

Today, businesses from Fortune 500 enterprises to regional manufacturers are leveraging Intenseye. Its customers run the gamut from producers of consumer packaged goods to equipment manufacturers, including companies like Heineken, Coats, and Unilever.

Why we invested in Intenseye

Lightspeed has been investing in groundbreaking AI companies since 2012. We understand the impact automation can have on industry applications, as we have seen with our investments in companies like Dexterity and Smartex, to name a few.

We share Intenseye’s vision for a future where AI fundamentally transforms industrial workflows, starting with workplace safety. We believe Intenseye can play a major role as both a provider of a leading-edge solution and a catalyst for widespread change in the EHS industry and beyond.

We were particularly excited to lead the company’s Series B given:

• Unique founders with deep domain insight. Sercan and Serhat met while developing computer vision applications for Sony. They blew us away with their depth of knowledge on the EHS market and their vision for the future. We immediately recognized their desire to fundamentally change how this market operates. They’ve also built an amazing team around them, making some key hires in 2023, including Matt Marshall as VP of sales, Sean Snyder as head of partnerships, Steve Iannucci as head of finance, and Chelsea Haynes as head of marketing.
• Large and rapidly growing market opportunity. The market for preventative safety solutions is largely greenfield. We believe significant tailwinds, such as increasing scrutiny from global regulatory bodies and heightened awareness around workplace safety, will drive sustained and durable growth in the EHS market.
• Best-in-class product and broad vision. Unlike other players in the space, Intenseye goes beyond traditional reactive EHS reporting and instead shifts the paradigm to proactive behavior around mitigation and correction. In the long-run, we also believe Intenseye can be highly applicable to adjacent areas such as quality control and audit management, to further build on its vision for a unified global safety standard.
• Clear ROI and expansion potential. Customers rave about what a positive impact the Intenseye platform has had on their work environment. The return on their investment is immediate, the culture of their workplaces has improved measurably, and more lives are being saved.

The path toward a safer, more sustainable workplace

Venture investing is about identifying founders with both vision and a clear understanding of product-market fit. Sercan and Serhat have built an awesome team and are addressing a pressing issue with a truly best-in-class product.

Rarely do we come across a company with such direct and tangible impact for customers so early in the company’s journey. We’re thrilled to partner with Intenseye to bring about a safer, more sustainable future for workplaces around the globe.