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Guardly, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, developed and provided mobile safety and security solutions for enterprise organizations, focusing on safe campus and building safety features. The platform utilized advanced cloud, indoor positioning, and real-time technology to deliver comprehensive corporate security, offering capabilities such as precise mobile location detection for clients. Guardly served a diverse range of sectors, including oil and mining, retail and shopping malls, enterprises, and universities, enhancing their emergency response and security protocols. The company successfully raised $1.45M in total funding, attracting investment from notable firms like Freestyle Capital, MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund, Golden Ventures, and Extreme Venture Partners. Guardly was subsequently acquired by Smart Locks Guide in July 2022, concluding its independent operations. It was founded in 2010 by Josh Sookman.
Guardly has raised $1.0M across 1 funding round.
Guardly has raised $1.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Guardly has raised $1.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Guardly's investors include 1Flourish Capital, Bowery Capital, Matt Ocko, Freestyle Capital, Golden Ventures, Burt Sugarman, James Altucher, Jesper Buch, Jillian Manus, Lou Kerner, Mary Hart, Michael Levinthal.
Guardly has raised $1.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $1.0M Seed in January 2014.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1, 2014 | $1M Seed | — | 1Flourish Capital, Bowery Capital, Matt Ocko, Freestyle Capital, Golden Ventures, Burt Sugarman, James Altucher, Jesper Buch, Jillian Manus, LOU Kerner, Mary Hart, Michael Levinthal, Oleg Tscheltzoff, Scott Cook, MARS | Announced |
Guardly is a Toronto-based technology company that develops mobile safety and security solutions, including apps and cloud-based platforms for emergency communication and crisis response. It serves enterprise organizations such as schools, corporations, healthcare facilities, transit systems, municipalities, oil and mining firms, retail spaces, and campuses, addressing the problem of rapid threat detection and response by providing real-time location-based alerts, indoor positioning, and mass notifications to protect people, facilities, and assets[1][2][3]. Founded in 2010, Guardly raised $1.45M before being acquired in July 2022 by Smart Locks Guide, a home security resource platform, enabling expanded reach in security solutions; its products like Guardly Mobile (for personal alerts on Android, iOS, BlackBerry) and Guardly Command (for security operations management) have demonstrated up to 44% faster incident response times in customer studies[1][2][3].
Guardly was founded in August 2010 in Toronto, Canada, by entrepreneurs including CEO Josh (last name not specified in sources), who previously worked as an Analyst at BlackBerry Partners Fund / RBC Venture Partners and is active in Toronto's startup scene as a TEDx organizer, mentor, and judge for competitions like Stanford's Social eChallenge[1][3]. The idea emerged from a need to disrupt legacy hardware-based emergency systems with mobile, location-aware software, enabling quick alerts with GPS/indoor data, user identity, and two-way communication during crises[2][3]. Early traction came from its innovative Indoor Positioning System (IPS) using Bluetooth Low Energy beacons, supporting multiple mobile platforms, and a 2010s focus on enterprise security led to $1.45M in funding across one round, culminating in the 2022 acquisition by Smart Locks Guide to integrate its tech with home security resources[1][2].
Guardly rides the wave of mobile-first cybersecurity and IoT-driven safety, capitalizing on rising enterprise demands for proactive threat response amid increasing physical security risks in workplaces, campuses, and public spaces post-2010s smartphone proliferation[1][2]. Timing aligned with BLE beacon adoption and the shift from siloed hardware to cloud-mobile ecosystems, positioning it against digital threat protectors in a market of 9,920+ cybersecurity firms[1]. Favorable forces include regulatory pressures for campus/building safety, remote work vulnerabilities, and IoT growth in retail/mining; its influence lies in proving software can outperform legacy systems, inspiring hybrid security models now amplified by the 2022 acquisition into consumer channels[1][3].
Guardly's acquisition positions it for scaled impact, merging enterprise alerting with home security education to potentially pioneer unified personal-to-facility platforms. Trends like AI-enhanced threat prediction, 5G for sub-second positioning, and privacy-focused IoT will shape its path, evolving influence from niche disruptor to broader safety ecosystem player under Smart Locks Guide. As physical-digital risks converge, Guardly exemplifies how mobile innovation fortifies enterprise defenses, tying back to its core mission of turning smartphones into lifelines.
