Vancouver-based online emergency preparedness network ePACT has received $2.5 million growth capital financing from CIBC Innovation Banking.
The startup’s co-founder and CEO Christine Sommers said the growth funding will be leveraged for growth of the company, its team, and product. Co-founded by Sommers and Kirsten Koppang Telford in 2012, ePACT allows users to build support networks, as well as store and exchange medical information securely.
The funding will be used for the growth of the company, its team, and product.
ePact also gives access to communication tools in the event of an emergency. ePACT’s system connects, stores, and communicates critical data for approximately 400 community organizations across North America and two million families spanning 140 countries.
Calling itself the “LinkedIn for emergencies”, ePACT’s “peer-to-peer-to-peer” network allows users to invite a third user to receive full access to their emergency contacts, medical issues, allergies, immunizations, special needs, waivers, and consent forms. According to ePACT, its cloud-based app enables “three-way connections to better respond to emergencies.” ePACT currently partners with organizations such as the Canadian Red Cross, National Recreation and Parks Association, BC Hockey, and the YMCA.
“We are impressed with what they are doing to connect families and organizations to better share critical information in a secure and timely fashion,” said director of CIBC Innovation Banking Vancouver, Kirstin Ritson.
In 2019, ePACT raised a $4.5 million Series A funding round co-led by Disruption Ventures and Yaletown Partners to help expand its product features “for new and current markets” and develop more integrations with its software partners. The startup also said it will use the capital to triple its team.
ePACT raised a $1 million round in 2014 and received a $1 million repayable contribution from the Government of Canada after being selected in the second competitive round of the Western Innovation Initiative (WINN) in 2015. Its total funding adds up to $9.4 million to date, based on numbers from Crunchbase.