Seneca launches with $60M to equip firefighters, utilities, and communities with advanced wildfire defense technology
Today we’re announcing Seneca — building autonomous aerial systems that launch instantly, deliver powerful fire suppression, and use AI to find and attack fires early. Seneca extends the reach of firefighters, utilities, and communities in situations that were once unsafe, inefficient, or impossible.
We’re also announcing what we believe is the largest venture capital financing in fire technology history: led by Caffeinated Capital and Convective Capital, with participation from First Round Capital, Transition VC, Advance Venture Partners, Nextview Ventures, Bullpen Capital, Stepstone Group, DCVC, Offline Ventures, Roar Capital, Good Friends, Slow Ventures, and MHS Capital. Our founding partners Nick Foley, Bill Clerico, Adrian Aoun, and David Glazer and our entire team are grateful to build this company alongside individuals who understand the inner workings of how fires are fought today and the mindset, aggression, and pure grind required to build transformational technologies.
We have benefited hugely from the insights of fire leaders and development partners across some of the most exceptional fire professionals and departments in the world, including Chief Dan Munsey (San Bernardino, CA), Chief Brian Fennessy (Orange County, CA), Chief Jake Andersen (Aspen, CO), and Chief Shepley Schroth-Cary (Gold Ridge, CA). These collaborations ensure that our product has immediate value to the heroic individuals that risk their lives to keep us all safe daily. Our team includes an Advisory Board of individuals with long track records in the fire service including Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell (former US Fire Administrator), John Mills (Watch Duty Founder and CEO), and Rick Balentine (25-year Chief of Aspen Fire Department).
The best part of building over the last year has been to watch the product evolve — targeting accuracy improvements, payload increases, safety enhancements, usability upgrades — and to see firefighters react to new features with each generation. Having now demonstrated the product’s capabilities on live fire and with fire agencies in four states, we will use this funding to improve capabilities, harden the overall system, increase production, and roll out the first systems to the field to save lives during the 2026 fire season.
Wildfire intensity has nearly tripled over the last two decades costing the US economy ~$1 trillion per year, upending thousands of lives, and destroying wild spaces and communities. But this is a problem that can be solved with technology and aggressive execution. It is a privilege to build this with the exceptional team at Seneca.
If you are a fire professional or represent a utility or a land owner and are interested in learning more, please contact us or email info@seneca.com.
If you are interested in working extremely hard on a planetary scale problem with kind, brilliant coworkers, we are hiring across all departments. Check out our open roles or email careers@seneca.com.