Top 11 Innovative Startups Applying AI for Wildfires Detection in 2025

The Omdena Impact Tech Startups Series brings together game‑changing startups, stories and thought‑leadership pieces from leading impact ventures solving real‑world problems. Initiated by the Omdena´s AI program for impact‑driven startups, the series highlights how cutting‑edge innovation can confront some of the most pressing challenges facing our planet. In this instalment we turn our attention to wildfire detection technology. With temperatures rising worldwide and wildfires becoming an ever greater threat, artificial intelligence is being harnessed to spot and stop blazes before they spiral out of control. A new generation of startups is using this technology in different ways, yet each is on a mission to positively affect the lives of people affected by wildfires every year. 

Why forest fire detection matters?

Wildfires have been part of the natural world for millennia; as the Forest fires have been happening for centuries article notes, fire ecology has shaped landscapes and species distributions. Today, however, the combination of climate change and expanding human settlement means that firefighting resources are stretched thin and the consequences of uncontrolled burns are more devastating than ever. Early detection is crucial: spotting the faintest signs of smoke allows fire‑fighting teams to mobilise before flames have a chance to spread, protecting both ecosystems and human communities. Modern wildfire detection technology combines ground‑based sensors, drones, satellites and advanced analytics to identify patterns that can predict where lightning might strike and to detect the earliest indications of ignition. By turning vast data streams into actionable insights, AI‑driven systems offer a means to prevent losses that would otherwise be inevitable.

How AI and technology help prevent wildfires?

Artificial intelligence contributes to wildfire prevention in two key ways. Predictive modelling looks at historical fire data, weather patterns and environmental factors to forecast the probability of future events. The World Economic Forum’s FireAId Project is one example of this approach: it uses heat maps and AI algorithms to identify features in satellite images that correspond with an increased risk of wildfire. In parallel, AI predictive analytics examines past wildfire data to find anomalies or correlations between variables. Predictive analytics provides a detailed understanding of fire behaviour over time, while rapid AI fire detection focuses on low‑latency signals that enable authorities to respond within minutes. These technologies are often paired with drones, infrared cameras, nanosatellites, and Internet of Things (IoT) networks that transmit sensor data from remote locations. Together they make it possible not only to forecast risk but also to identify hot spots before they become infernos. The following section introduces eleven startups whose innovations illustrate the breadth of today’s wildfire detection technology landscape.

Top Startups using AI for Wildfire Detection 

Below we present eleven innovative startups leveraging AI to develop wildfire detection technology. The order does not constitute a ranking; each company tackles the challenge from its own perspective and with its own mix of hardware and software solutions.

1. Dryad

Dryad

An IoT startup based in Berlin-Brandenburg, Dryad builds large-scale IoT networks that enable public and private forest owners to monitor, analyze, and protect the world’s largest and remotest forests by using big data. Initially, the focus is on developing a system for detecting wildfires at an early stage.

Industry: Internet of Things 

Founded: Jan 8, 2020

Founder(s): Carsten Brinkschulte, Ben Banerjee

Applications and projects: 

Wildfire Detection by SILVANET

Dryad’s Silvanet is a complete solution for ultra-early wildfire detection and forest health and growth monitoring. It includes sensors, an open standards network infrastructure, as well as monitoring, analytics, and alert services.

2. Ororatech

Ororatech

OroraTech is a data intelligence company headquartered in Munich, Germany, dedicated to ensuring a net-zero economy while protecting the environment. Over 160 million hectares of forest are monitored by their leading wildfire intelligence service.

Industry: Satellite imaging

Founded: Sep 2018

Founder(s): Björn Stoffers, Florian Mauracher, Rupert Amann, Thomas Grübler

Applications and projects: 

CUBESATS

Cubesats

Cubesats by Ororatech enables the launch of standardized nanosatellites. They are built with commonly available off-the-shelf components, and are relatively cheap compared to old large satellites, allowing the establishment of larger constellations.

3. Gridware

Gridware

With Gridware, power distribution grids can be monitored via sensors and software by using a low-cost hardware platform that can be easily and permanently installed to power poles. Utility asset health profiles provide a comprehensive view of asset health, which can be used to demonstrate risk reduction to regulators in the event of wildfires.

Industry: Energy

Founded: Aug 2020

Founder(s): Abdulrahman Bin Omar, Hall Chen, Timothy Barat

Applications and projects:

Remote telemetry and edge AI

Using remote telemetry and edge AI, Gridware wildfire prevention technology powers a grid that is smarter and more reliable than ever before. With this tech, Gridware monitors for possible changes that could affect the quality of the grid’s performance or ignite wildfires.

Remote telemetry and edge AI

4. Umgrauemeio

Umgrauemeio

Umgrauemeio developed a method for combating fires at an earlier stage through providing specialized devices designed to support the five major elements of fighting fires. These devices monitor and provide solutions for detecting, communicating, mobilizing, fighting fires and preventing them from happening in the first place.

Industry: SaaS

Founded: Nov 26, 2016

Founder(s): Eimi Arikawa, Osmar Bambini, Rogerio Cavalcante

Applications and projects: 

Pantera

Pantera is an integrated plataform for forest fire management. Everything a company needs to prevent, detect and fight forest fires.

Pantera is an integrated plataform

5. Firemaps

Firemaps

Firemaps offers fire management solutions for residential use and provides assistance for mitigating wildfires. The company was founded by a group of entrepreneurs, builders, firefighters, and wildfire modelling professionals in 2021. 

Industry: Home security

Founded: 2021

Founder(s): Jahan Khanna, Sharuk Khanna

Applications and projects:

1. Defensible Space

Firemaps created a landscaped area around homes to slow the spread of wildfire and give firefighters a safe area to work.

firefighters a safe area to work

2. Home Hardening

Firemaps contractors use building materials and installation techniques to increase resistance to heat, flames, and embers.

Source

To explore how AI-driven wildfire detection is being scaled globally, you can also read our in-depth breakdown of Omdena’s wildfire innovation work in this wildfire early-detection case study.

6. Arbonaut

Arbonaut

Arbonaut develops information gathering and GIS solutions for forest inventory and natural resource management.

Industry: Geographic information system

Founded: 1994

Founder(s): Tuomo Kauranne

Applications and projects:

• ProMS: Cloud-based geospatial information platform for project management. ProMS is a highly adaptable platform that can be tailored to fit the needs of many different industries. 

• ArboFiRM: Arbonaut Fire Risk Management — ArboFiRM — supports strategic planning and decision-making for fire prevention and suppression on both the local and regional levels. It allows forest fire managers to forecast forest fire behaviour and reduce the risk of fire spreading in the wildland-urban interface. 
• ArboAqua: ArboAqua, platform allows to centralise information from different data sources by taking advantage of remote sensing data, i.e. to assess the quality of water bodies and to follow the changes.
• ArboGIS: ArboGIS offers advanced GIS tools for manipulating spatial information. The platform can be further enhanced by adding a variety of different proprietary GIS modules on customer demand to address specific GIS data management needs.
• ASTA: ASTA collects and reports information and visitor experiences from multiple data sources for the park´s management and ensures transparent decision making.
• ArboFIS: With ArboFIS, the whole process of forest management, from data collection and planning to implementation and monitoring, can be managed easily and efficiently. By centralising data from different sources, it is assured that different users have access to common sources of valid data, allowing optimised collaboration and decision-making.

7. Robotics Cats

Robotics Cats

With our AI wildfire detection SaaS, we help businesses and governments mitigate forest fire risks and damages around the world. 

Industry: SaaS

Founded: Aug 9, 2019

Founder(s): Andre Cheung

Applications and projects:

1. Insight Robotics InsightFD Early Wildfire Detection System

Insight Robotics InsightFD is the global market leader in early wildfire detection. InsightFD robot, a purpose-built camera system using both visual and infrared sensors, will rotate 360-degree and scan for fire and smoke 24×7.

Insight Robotics InsightFD Early Wildfire Detection System

2. ReportFires app

It is an iOS app that helps users to make informed and timely responses to wildfires. It helps users to detect nearby wildfires using AI wildfire detection

ReportFires app

3. LookOut wildfire detection service

LookOut wildfire detection service (formerly named AI-Cloud) provides customers easy to deploy and use solutions to detect wildfires.

LookOut wildfire detection service

8. Exci

exci

exci was founded in 2019 and was formerly known as Fireball.International. Since exci developed a new innovative solution to a global problem.

Industry: Information Technology

Founded: 2019

Founder(s): Christopher Tylor, Gabrielle Tylor

Applications and projects:

Early Wildfire Detection

exci offers an Early Wildfire detection and notification service. That means:

exci (Latin word for alarm) is the ‘smoke alarm for the bush’. exci detects wildfires automatically within minutes, combining satellite and ground-based camera data that are analyzed by powerful deep machine learning algorithms for the presence of smoke and heat. Even small fires are automatically detected within minutes after ignition, with a near-zero rate of false positives. If a fire is detected, electronic notifications are sent directly to exciMap users. Notification can be provided via SMS or eMail. Notifications can also be directed to the appropriate Fire Service, integrating with their systems and processes.

exci is the only Early Wildfire Detection System that has been proven in large-scale deployments, with nearly 1,000 cameras covering over 125 million acres in California and over 2 million hectares of plantations in Australia. During the 2021 fire season, exci processed over one billion images from ground-based cameras as well as analyzed more than 500,000 satellite images (30GB per day). The exci system issued 8,672 notifications. Reports from California indicated that the system detected 66% of fires within a minute, 95% within 5 minutes, and nearly 100% within 10 minutes, with a near-zero rate of false positives.

How exci’s system works

The statistics of California’s reports

9. Pano AI 

Pano AI

Pano offers hardware and software technology solutions for fire professionals to detect threats and respond faster.

Industry: Information Technology

Founded: 2019

Founder(s): Sonia Kastner

Applications and projects:

Pano Rapid Detect

Pano Rapid Detect captures a dynamic 360-degree panoramic view of the landscape every minute. This rich camera data, combined with satellite imagery, emergency call details, and other data feeds, enables Pano AI’s artificial intelligence to continuously monitor the landscape and provide actionable intelligence in a single, intuitive interface, enabling fire authorities to detect, assess, and pinpoint new fires quickly, in order to contain them while they are still small.

10. Insight Robotics

Insight Robotics

Insight Robotics protects our industry’s natural resources and infrastructure through their Intelligent threat detection. The Data they collect through Robots and Sensors is displayed through a GIS platform and provides data in an intuitive form so Stakeholders can decide their response.

Industry: Threat detection

Founded: 2009

Founder(s): Kevin Chan, Rex Sham

Applications and projects:

1. Wildfire Detection System InsightFD + Insight Globe

The Insight Robotics Wildfire Detection System consists of a network of InsightFD robots linked to the management platform Insight Globe suited at a central control room. Each robot provides industry-leading accuracy, real-time surveillance, and early detection of emerging wildfires, shifting the focus to efficient early suppression rather than costly firefighting.

Wildfire Detection System InsightFD + Insight Globe

2. Aerial Survey

Insight Robotics’ purpose-built RGB and multispectral system captures high-resolution terrain mapping and precise aerial assessments. Data will be processed into useful visualizations of large land areas. Decision-makers can respond to threats and manage land to optimize output.

Aerial Survey

11. Rain

Rain

The Rain System uses a network of autonomous aircraft that are able to contain wildfires within 10 minutes of their ignition.

Industry: 

Founded: 2019

Founder(s): Bryan Hatton, Ephraim Nowak, Maxwell Brodie

Applications and projects:

Autonomous aircraft

Rain autonomous aircraft dispense water to contain wildfires within 10 minutes of ignition. 

Autonomous aircraft

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Conclusion

The rise of artificial intelligence in wildfire detection marks a turning point in how the world prepares for extreme climate events. The startups highlighted in this list are proving that early detection is not only possible but essential for protecting ecosystems, communities and critical infrastructure. By combining sensors, satellites, drones and advanced analytics, these innovators are shortening response times, reducing damage and supporting the people who stand on the front lines of fire management. Their work shows how strategic use of AI can transform crisis response from reactive to proactive and build a safer future for regions increasingly exposed to wildfire risk.

If you want to build AI solutions that strengthen wildfire response, environmental protection or climate resilience, connect with Omdena today. Share your goals and let us see if we are a good fit.