As climate disasters grow in frequency and severity, investors are channeling capital into technologies with real-world impact. Pano AI, a San Francisco–based climate tech startup, has secured $44 million in Series B funding to scale its AI-powered wildfire detection platform. Led by Giant Ventures, the funding round underscores a rising trend of public-private collaboration to build infrastructure that can mitigate the risks of a warming planet.
Investment Signals Maturity of Climate Tech Sector
According to The Wall Street Journal, Pano AI has secured $44 million in Series B funding, led by Giant Ventures, bringing its total capital raised to $89 million. The investment comes as governments and utilities face intensifying pressure to combat unprecedented wildfire seasons, with over 1 billion acres burned globally in 2024 alone.
The company will leverage the capital to scale its real-time fire detection technology, expanding coverage across high-risk areas in North America, Australia, and beyond. With contracted revenues now surpassing $100 million, Pano AI currently monitors nearly 30 million acres and works with over 250 emergency response agencies across 10 U.S. states, five Australian states, and British Columbia in Canada.
Since its 2020 launch, Pano AI has built a strong client base across government agencies, electric utilities, and private landowners. Its partners include 15 major utilities like Xcel Energy, APS, and PGE. It also co-founded the Association of Firetech Innovation to advance wildfire tech adoption.
Bridging Public Infrastructure and Private Innovation
At the heart of Pano AI’s business model is its role as a public-private partner. The company’s 360-degree mountaintop camera systems, combined with real-time AI threat detection and human verification, are now deployed across 30 million acres in North America and Australia.
More than 250 fire agencies and 15 utility partners, including Xcel Energy and Portland General Electric, currently use Pano AI’s platform. The startup reports over $100 million in contracted revenue, underscoring its position as a commercially viable and mission-critical tool.
Pano’s system combines high-resolution cameras, featuring dual 6MP lenses and 30x zoom, installed at strategic high points with AI trained to detect smoke and heat in real time. The cameras scan every 60 seconds, sending panoramic data to the cloud for instant analysis.
Once in the system, machine learning models analyze imagery to identify potential fire ignition. Suspected fires are verified by human analysts and cross-referenced with satellite imagery, GIS data, and emergency systems. If validated, alerts are sent out within minutes, often well before traditional emergency calls are made.
Real-World Impact: Speed Saves Lives
On June 16, 2024, Pano’s system demonstrated its capabilities during a lightning-induced fire in Colorado’s Bennett Mountain. Despite remote conditions, Pano’s AI identified smoke early, triangulated coordinates, and triggered a coordinated aerial and ground response. As helicopters delivered 18,000 gallons of water over several hours, crews on foot took two hours to reach the blaze. The fire, thanks to early detection, was confined to just three acres.
Mike Alexander, director of emergency management for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, said in a statement that,
In today’s wildfire environment, every minute counts. Pano AI gave us early confirmation and precise coordinates that allowed us to launch a rapid aerial and ground attack in a remote watershed that provides drinking water to over one million people. That critical lead time helped us contain the Bear Creek Fire before it became a more destructive event. Overall, Pano has become an essential part of how we conduct modern wildland firefighting in Douglas County.
Conclusion
With fresh funding secured, Pano AI will expand in wildfire-prone regions and enhance AI accuracy by reducing weather-related false positives. The 110-person team continues refining its full-service solution, handling hardware setup, network design, training, and real-time alert distribution across agencies.
With new funding secured, Pano AI will expand wildfire coverage, improve AI accuracy, reduce weather-related errors, and grow internationally. Its 110-member team keeps refining the full solution, covering hardware deployment, network design, agency training, and seamless alert system delivery.
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