South African security and medical response marketplace AURA has secured a ZAR62 million (US$4 million) Series A funding round to support its global expansion plans.
AURA is a marketplace that enables anyone to access the closest vetted private and public security and medical response unit to their location – anywhere, anytime – using a connected device.
“South Africa has one of the most advanced private security and emergency response industries which has the capacity to ensure safety to a greater number of people who might not currently have access to it,” said co-founder Warren Myers.
“AURA enables seamless and affordable ways for anyone to get immediate and trusted access to both private and public emergency response resources in an emergency, creating a world where everyone is safe.”
The startup is already the leading marketplace of its kind in South Africa, with over 400,000 active users on its network. The company expanded to East Africa and the United Kingdom (UK) earlier this year, and is now planning further growth after banking its Series A round, which was led by MultiChoice Group (MCG), KLT Holdings and Buffet Investments.
“We are gearing some of the funding towards hiring top talent to head up each new region while growing teams in established regions – especially our tech team. The result is stronger relationships and value propositions for suppliers at all levels in the marketplace,” said co-founder Ryan Green.
Calvo Mawela, Group CEO of MultiChoice, explained the reasons behind his firm’s investment in AURA.
“To accelerate the evolution of our ecosystem by offering additional value-added services to our customers, we are investing in scalable and innovative technology platforms like AURA. Not only does it strengthen our service offering and enhance long-term value creation for shareholders, but it also drives economic development and job creation,” he said.
