(Jeff Pilch, The Buzz) A real-time, threat-alert notification software designed to reduce police response time and bridge the communication gap.

The Problem

When a person calls 911, it can take anywhere from two to four minutes to route the original call to the local, responding agency. Meanwhile, on average, law enforcement response time to an active shooting event is 12.5 minutes, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Tragically, however, most active shooting events are over in approximately five minutes. The underlying issue is not only that the current 911 infrastructure creates an inherent delay, but that law enforcement officers are most often arriving on-scene after the situation has ended.

What The Company Does

Lynnfield-based In Force Technology has developed its “In FORCE911” platform to enable a teacher to initiate an alert from any technological device, sending an alert directly to law enforcement and local dispatch in just 12 seconds, or less. Specifically, law enforcement receives the alert via dispatch, in-car computers, and smartphones with specific information including the location of threat origin (classroom number), physical address and additional pertinent information. The alert portal provides law enforcement with integrated floor plans, IP-camera feeds, and opens a real-time, two-chat portal between those at the point of contact, directly with local first responders.

Business Model

In Force Technology is a SaaS business model, billing customers annually with a very high customer retention rate (98%). All customers sign multi-year contracts — typically three-year terms. In just the company’s second year, sales reached $500,000 in ARR and achieved a 46% growth rate in 2019. The company anticipates a growth rate of 200% in 2020 while achieving more than $2M in ARR. To date, the company has customer sites in 10 states coast to coast and expects to “plant the flag” in three new states in the first quarter of 2020.

The Market

The total addressable market for the “IN FORCE911” platform is roughly $1.37B, according to the company. Specifically, the company has identified the following primary markets: public/private K-12 institutions, colleges and universities and municipal government buildings. Secondary vertical markets include places of worship and private corporations. IFT does not consider itself to have a direct technological competitor given the uniqueness of the technology and the many barriers to entry in which the company has engineered within the platform. A few of those barriers to entry include: CJIS-5 compliancy, FIPS 140–2 certification, while the platform is hosted in the coveted Microsoft Government Azure cloud environment.

Traction

“IN FORCE911” has thousands of users and more than several hundred customer deployment sites. In fact, they have several use cases in which the software has been utilized or deployed during a perceived, life-threatening situation. Moreover, the company has a fantastic customer reference list from users across the country. The company partnered with it’s first “institutional” investor in mid-2019, raising $1.65M through an equity offering. IFT recently formed a strategic channel partnership with a leading school-safety technology company which provides a complimentary streamlined product offering to “IN FORCE911”. Combined, the companies are offering an integrated software to provide a highly sophisticated school safety technology.

Founding Team Background

Brandon Flangan is the President and CEO. His father, Don Flangan, the company’s founder and board chairman, owned and operated the largest lobbying practice in MA for nearly 20 years. Although his firm initially focused heavily on law enforcement associations and clients, the focus transitioned toward defense and homeland security projects, initiatives and clients. As a young college graduate and former D1 football player, Brandon joined his father’s team and over time began to manage a few law enforcement clients and technologies. Brandon quickly built relationships across the country and developed a deep operational and tactical understanding of law enforcement. Together, with their superior and unmatched domain expertise, father and son developed a solution in response to the targeted acts of school violence witnessed across the country. Together, they embarked on a mission to save lives.

What They Need Help With

The In Force Technology team is looking to fuel its growth, so reach out if you are someone or know someone that shares their passion and vision for the company. They love to tell their story and are steadfast in their commitment to create safer learning environments for our nation’s youth. Connect with the In Force Technology team.

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