Waving B.V., a Dutch deep-tech company pioneering AI-powered Wi-Fi detection of humans through walls for security applications, has announced it successfully closed a €2.6 million funding round with investment from venture capital firms and angel investors to accelerate trials it is conducting with Schiphol Airport and the Ministry of Justice.
The investment comes from several venture capital firms and angel investors, including Caesar, SI Ventures, Lightfield Equity, and I-Lab Angels. Waving is also collaborating with Schiphol Airport and the Ministry of Justice and Security’s Startup in Residence program to test the technology in complex security environments.
“This investment round, the tests at Schiphol, and our rapidly growing involvement in both the public and private sectors demonstrate the potential of our technology and the urgent need for better security of critical infrastructure,” Gal Cohen, CEO and co-founder of Waving, said.
Addressing a Growing Security Gap in Critical Infrastructure
Rising geopolitical tensions, new technologies, and increased digital connectivity are putting increased security pressures on critical infrastructure. Sabotage of energy grids and transport and communication systems is becoming increasingly common, prompting governments to introduce new legislation to strengthen their critical infrastructure, such the KRITIS-DachG law that was passed by Germany’s Bundestag in January.
Together with Waving and a few interested organizations within the Ministry of Justice and Safety we will start a pilot to detect persons inside buildings using their Wi-Fi technology.” says Arthur Admiraal, startup officer for the Ministry of Justice. “If this works, it could benefit the safety of our people in the field.’”
Waving is developing a system that uses artificial intelligence and Wi-Fi signals to detect not only human movement but also presence, even through walls and objects and under any weather circumstances indoors and outdoors. It can also be deployed as a portable solution for response teams, for example.
The system uses a combination of advanced hardware and software. The technology runs on a small, energy-efficient Edge chip, making it easy to deploy in concealed, out-of-sight locations. By using an invisible security layer of Wi-Fi signals and AI, the system can detect people over long distances and in all weather conditions.
Current security solutions like security cameras, infrared sensors, and radar systems often offer insufficient protection for protecting organisations’ critical areas and assets. Such systems frequently trigger false alarms, are sensitive to weather conditions, and rely on a direct line of sight, creating blind spots behind walls or at greater distances. This leads to dependence on security personnel, which is in short supply due to the tight labour market leading to high costs. Moreover, security cameras raise potential privacy issues with regulators and employees.
Several trials are underway at Schiphol, Europe’s third busiest airport, to investigate how the technology can contribute to human detection in areas where existing systems are less effective.
“The security priority at a major international hub like Schiphol is to address constantly changing security challenges across thousands of hectares without compromising privacy or creating alert fatigue for our teams” says Jasper Mutsaers, Program Manager Security at Royal Schiphol Group. “Waving’s Wi-Fi sensing technology has successfully demonstrated its capability to detect human presence through walls and in complex areas where traditional systems fail. Securing three new Proof-of-Concepts with Waving is a strategic step forward in our mission to adopt innovative, privacy-first solutions for perimeter security and indoor presence detection across the airport.”
Supporting the World’s Critical Infrastructure Resilience
Investments from international investors such as Caesar, SI Ventures, Lightfield Equity, I-Lab Angels, Heartfelt Ventures, Living Hope, Angel Invest, P3A, Julian Werner, and others will be used for product development and to expand the team to support pilots with partners in critical infrastructure, defence, and industrial environments as the company is in conversations with critical infrastructure organisations in the US and Asia.
“Waving addresses a critical gap in infrastructure security, essential for European resilience,” said Dr. Carolin Gabor, managing partner and co-founder of venture capital firm Caesar. “We were immediately impressed by the team’s defence-grade expertise and advanced Wi-Fi wave technology. They have built a scalable architecture for complex sites that is cost-efficient, privacy-preserving, and complementary to existing systems. We believe Waving is positioned to become the new standard component in the modern security stack.”