StormSensor, a climate technology company tracking real-time flooding and storm data, announced the closing of a $10M round of funding co-led by Orbia Ventures and Buoyant Ventures, with participation from Burnt Island Ventures, Gratitude Railroad, Portland Seed Fund, the American Family Institute for Corporate and Social Impact, and several individual investors. The funding will be used to scale technology, enter new markets and grow the team.
The series of powerful coastal storms and massive flooding events over the past several years spurred StormSensor founder Erin Rothman and a team of stormwater scientists into action. Recognizing a need for innovative data capture to manage urban and coastal flooding, StormSensor is powered by the objective of managing climate risk through creating intelligent stormwater, sewer, and coastal infrastructure. Founded in 2016, Storm Sensor has partnered with cities and towns across the United States, from Seattle to Norfolk; Boston to Memphis.
StormSensor's integrated solution provides real-time storm, sewer, and coastal system diagnostics, empowering cities and planners to take action. Unlike traditional methods that only allow for strategic spot checks, StormSensor provides coverage across sewer systems, without duration limits for data. StormSensors’s powerful analytics, which include real-time alerts and long-term tracking, capture relevant insights so planners always know how their systems are performing. This enables them to proactively manage capacity issues, backups, and flooding across communities.
The funding will be used to scale technology, enter new markets and grow the team
“At StormSensor, we provide civic leaders with the platform to prioritize capital projects to help mitigate the impact of storm- and flood-related disasters,” said Erin Rothman, founder and CEO, StormSensor. “We are thrilled to partner with Orbia, Buoyant and others to help grow our companies to help serve the millions of Americans impacted by catastrophic flooding.”
Sameer Bharadwaj, CEO of Orbia, said, “At Orbia, we are passionate about directing our investments to enterprises that share a commitment to advancing lives around the world and are addressing the impacts of climate change—globally, this is our single largest responsibility. And we are not just investing in Erin and her team’s incredible, cutting-edge monitoring technology. We are also investing in a partnership that leverages our combined capabilities in building and infrastructure to support resilient cities and municipalities today and in the future."
Orbia, a global leader in specialty products and innovative solutions spanning the precision agriculture, data communications, building and infrastructure, fluorinated solutions and polymer solutions verticals, first announced its investment in StormSensor in November 2021 through its Orbia Ventures arm.
“At Buoyant, we believe in helping early-stage companies with great technologies to power innovative and transformative solutions to adapt to risk and meet climate goals,” said Allison Myers, partner, Buoyant Ventures. “Erin and the team at StormSensor are helping to prepare cities and towns with resilient technology-powered solutions to face the impacts of climate change.”
