A Canadian artificial intelligence startup that's transforming how emergency dispatch centres handle 911 calls has been acquired by communications technology giant Motorola Solutions, marking a significant win for North American tech innovation.
Hyper, co-founded by Toronto entrepreneurs Damian McCabe and Ben Sanders and launched from the Yukon in 2023, has been snapped up by Motorola in a deal announced Thursday. The acquisition brings together cutting-edge AI technology with one of the world's leading public safety communications platforms, promising faster emergency response times across North America.
The startup's AI-powered voice system represents a breakthrough solution to a critical problem facing emergency services: understaffed dispatch centres overwhelmed with non-emergency calls. According to 2023 data from U.S. 911 call centres, one in four dispatcher positions remain unfilled—leaving critical emergency responders stretched thin and callers waiting on hold.
How Hyper Works
Hyper's technology listens to incoming 911 calls, responds to callers in more than 30 languages, and asks intelligent follow-up questions to determine whether an emergency truly requires human dispatch intervention. The system can autonomously resolve up to 75 percent of non-emergency calls while ensuring genuine emergencies are escalated immediately to trained dispatchers.
Since emerging from stealth less than a year ago, Hyper has partnered with major law enforcement agencies across the continent, including Toronto Police Service and San Diego County Sheriff's Office. The platform can scale to handle surge capacity during peak demand periods, ensuring no caller is left waiting.
"In just over a year, we went from our first live call to supporting some of the largest agencies on the continent," Sanders noted in announcing the acquisition.
Motorola Expanding AI Capabilities
Motorola Solutions says the acquisition will strengthen its Assist platform, which collects and aggregates critical data from 911 calls and other public safety sources. The deal allows Motorola to deepen its use of agentic AI—systems that can take autonomous action based on real-time data.
"Assist is already saving public safety agencies hours," said Mahesh Saptharishi, executive vice-president and chief technology officer at Motorola Solutions. "By acquiring Hyper, we're further accelerating actions to shrink the gap between the moment a caller dials for help and when help arrives."
The company plans to roll out specialized AI agents that can understand the context of 911 calls, radio communications, and other emergency data sources to take immediate action—potentially saving lives by reducing critical response delays.
Success Story for Canadian Entrepreneurship
The deal represents a rapid exit for the Canadian founders. McCabe previously founded Toronto-based Connected, a product development firm that grew to 200 employees before being acquired by consulting firm ThoughtWorks in 2022. Sanders co-founded fintech startup Clearco and digital paperwork platform Proof, which was acquired by Daylight Automation in 2022.
Hyper raised $6.3 million USD ($8.5 million CAD) in pre-seed funding from venture firms including Canadian backers Ripple Ventures and Trillick Ventures. According to reports, Ripple's investors saw strong returns on the investment.
"This is what pre-seed investing looks like when it works," Ripple Ventures managing partner Matt Cohen wrote on LinkedIn. "A founder with conviction, a thesis that matched ours, and an outcome that validates everything we believe about backing builders at the earliest stage."
All 18 Hyper employees, including founders Sanders and McCabe, will join Motorola Solutions as part of the acquisition.
This story is based on reporting from BetaKit. Read the original article at BetaKit.com