SA-made Securitech Startup Sentian Secures A Round Of Funding From Imfezeko Investment Holdings
Cape Town’s Sentian, a developer of smart security solutions, has just announced securing funding from Imfezeko Investment Holdings, a deal which was completed on 19th September.
This recent round of funding will reportedly be used to expand its reach in addition to gaining new market opportunities.
Sentian’s keynote product, the Sentian 3i launched in 2017, is a smart security hub that comprises hardware, embedded software, a cloud service and user app. The hub connects to an existing alarm system, CCTV and home automation systems to help users control their security systems with a single application.
The company was founded in 2013 by Trevor Lewis and Tigue Little, the latter being a victim of false alarms due to over-sensitivity of his then owned security system. Sentian’s product can however combat false alarms by visual verification where a video of the affected area is sent to the user’s smart device.
Although the product is believed to cost significantly as it targets the top end of the market, the startup is reportedly creating new products for the middle income market, to be launched next year.
Plausibly, Sentian’s products could be much needed in South Africa. Statistics from the recently released Victims of crime report 2018/19 show that about 70 000 deliberate acts of property damage and arson, and 260 000 home break-ins and were recorded in that time period, affecting roughly 1 per cent of households in the country.
The startup had reportedly received a “multi-million Rand” investment in 2016. This was a seed investment from Mark Forrester, a name claimed prominent in the SA startup industry after his co-founded startup WooThemes was aqcuired by WordPress founding company, Automattic.
Imfezeko Investment Holdings is a Johannesburg-based investor in security industry tech-enabled disruptors and connectivity providers.
Feature photo courtesy: Etech
