Ottawa-based Versaterm has pulled the trigger on another major M&A deal, acquiring a U.S. startup that helps first responders dispatch drones to accident scenes and other emergency situations. Versaterm, which makes software that helps police forces, fire departments and other public safety agencies manage their operations, announced this week it has purchased Austin-based DroneSense. Terms […]
Ottawa-based Versaterm has pulled the trigger on another major M&A deal, acquiring a U.S. startup that helps first responders dispatch drones to accident scenes and other emergency situations.
Versaterm, which makes software that helps police forces, fire departments and other public safety agencies manage their operations, announced this week it has purchased Austin-based DroneSense. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Founded in 2015, DroneSense specializes in a software platform that allows customers to pilot drones of any type from central locations via web browsers.
The system will now be plugged into Versaterm’s computer-aided dispatch and command-and-control platforms, allowing first responders to “deploy drone flights as seamlessly as dispatching any patrol, fire or Emergency Medical Services (EMS) unit,” the Ottawa firm said in a news release.
“This acquisition moves us closer to a future where drones are as routine as any patrol or fire unit,” Versaterm president and CEO Warren Loomis said in a statement.
“Adding DroneSense expands the capabilities we can offer agencies to deploy aerial support as part of response, delivering new ways to visualize complex scenes, respond with greater precision and keep both responders and communities safe.”
DroneSense says its platform, which livestreams video taken from drones at emergency scenes, provides an “eye in the sky” that allows first responders to quickly share information with other agencies while giving teams on the ground a “bird’s-eye view” of potential threats and hazards.
The acquisition comes as governments on both sides of the border are poised to loosen restrictions on the use of drones.
Transport Canada is set to roll out new rules in November permitting qualified operators to pilot drones beyond their visual lines of sight in certain situations without a special flight operations certificate. Meanwhile, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is also looking at new regulations to allow drone operators to fly beyond visual lines of sight.
DroneSense CEO Christopher Eyhorn said the deal will bring the company’s platform into the hands of more agencies across Canada and the U.S.
“We're excited to grow what we started, bringing advanced flight capabilities, real-time intelligence and unmatched flexibility to the heart of public safety operations,” Eyhorn said in a statement.
It’s Versaterm’s 12th M&A deal since U.S. private equity firm Banneker Partners bought the Ottawa software company in 2020.
Last year, Versaterm acquired Integrated Computer Systems, a Texas-based organization that specializes in computer-aided dispatch, mobile data client and comprehensive records management systems, and Mindbase, a Utah company that specializes in a mental health and wellness platform for first responders. 
