Accidental firearm deaths and suicides involving firearms make up a large chunk of all gun-related death in the U.S. While activists and political leaders have long called for governmental regulation on weapons to lower the number of gun-related deaths in the county, those efforts have largely stalled. One Colorado-based company has been developing technology that could provide a solution to the crisis, and it recently secured new funding.
Broomfield-based Biofire closed a $14 million Series A round this week led by Founders Fund, a VC firm that has previously invested in SpaceX, Meta and Airbnb. The new funds will be used to bring the “firearms sector into the 21st century,” Biofire’s CEO Kai Kloepfer said in a company blog post.
Biofire develops firearms with built-in biometric scanners that will only unlock a firearm for its owner and relock it when the owner is no longer in control of the weapon. The technology works similarly to unlocking a phone using a fingerprint scanner, in which the phone will only unlock when it recognizes the biometric data that is internally stored.
According to Biofire, its biometric technology will help prevent accidental firearms deaths and keep children and teens from accidentally firing a weapon.
“We are looking forward to introducing the Smart Gun to the public in 2023. We are especially grateful to our partners in the special forces, law enforcement and private security communities who have helped us prepare for that launch,” Kloepfer said in the blog post.
Since launching in 2016, Biofire has raised $31 million in funding across three rounds, according to Crunchbase.
Biofire currently has several openings across departments. Its team is currently comprised of top talent from Google, NASA and Ford, among other notable brands.
