Biofire Technologies Raises $17m for Smart Gun to Redefine the Future of Firearm Safety

Biofire has attracted the largest private investment in a firearm technology startup in history to bring their instantly unlocking, biometrically-authenticated handgun to market.

BROOMFIELD, Colo. , May 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Biofire Technologies today announced that it is emerging from three years in stealth mode, having raised $17 million in seed funding to bring its Smart Gun to market - the largest private investment in a firearm technology startup in history. Their biometrically-authenticated handgun instantly unlocks for users authorized by its owner, but remains locked for all others. Biofire's diverse group of backers includes early funders of Google, Airbnb, SpaceX, Tesla, Flatiron Health, and GitHub.

Biofire is the first to build a handgun from the ground up with fully integrated, instantly unlocking, state-of-the-art biometrics. It has the unique potential to prevent thousands of firearm accidents and suicides every year, especially among children and teens.

"The modern gun owner demands innovation - they want a better, faster choice to keep their families safe. The Biofire Smart Gun will offer that new choice to consumers, powered by our radical approach to safety and reliability," said Biofire Founder and CEO Kai Kloepfer.

A Morning Consult poll released in March 2022 found that 56% of gun owners support the development of smart guns; 55% of gun owners, as well as 45% of adults overall, said they would be comfortable using a smart gun.

Biofire's unique approach to firearm safety has garnered bipartisan support from more than 50 VCs, private family offices, and high net-worth individuals, including Biofire board member Lt. General Guy C. Swan III (ret.), Ron Conway, Founder of SV Angel and the Smart Tech Challenges Foundation, and bestselling author Gavin de Becker, widely regarded as the nation's leading expert on preventing and managing violence.

"When considering whether a Smart Gun is right for them, the first two things that gun owners are going to look at are safety and reliability. Biofire's engineers hail from backgrounds in defense, military, and aerospace - they won't release the product until it has cleared a rigorous testing regimen and is proven to work safely and as required, every single time," said Lt. General Swan.

Biofire's funding has enabled the company to grow to 40 employees and to launch an exclusive private beta program with participants from the special forces, law enforcement, and executive protection communities. The company will share product launch timelines as the beta program progresses.

"People today have good reason to explore every practical measure for improving their personal safety," said Mr. de Becker. "Biofire's Smart Gun will appeal to those who want to take immediate action to defend themselves and their families without introducing the extra risk of misuse and accidents. For those people, peace of mind is priceless."

According to a New England Journal of Medicine analysis of CDC data, gun-related accidents, homicides, and suicides became the leading cause of death for American children and teens in 2020 - more than 4,000 children that year. In 2021, there were more than 350 unintentional shootings involving children.

Biofire Technologies
Since CEO Kai Kloepfer founded Biofire in 2016, the company has won respect and accolades from gun owners and other supporters who believe in technology's potential to help reduce firearm accidents, criminal misuse, suicides, and other tragic outcomes. Biofire's team has diverse backgrounds in aerospace, defense, medical, automotive and firearm engineering.

Based in Broomfield, Colorado. For more information, visit biofire.io or contact [email protected] with any questions.

SOURCE Biofire Technologies