Collisions with wildlife often come with a heavy price tag. In the United States, the cost of vehicle and animal collisions cost up to $10 billion annually, and that is just accounting for accidents on the road. The cost is even higher when collisions in the sky and over rail are taken into account.
Sara Nozkova noticed the recurring problem of moose colliding with trains when working in her home country of Sweden. The reality was undeniable; climate change, shrinking habitats, and shifting migration patterns are pushing wildlife closer to human activity and causing more collisions. However, there wasn’t a solution that effectively deterred animals without causing harm. With her background in transportation and artificial intelligence, Nozkova worked with her co-founder Tomas Becklin to turn research being done at KTH (Royal Institute of Technology) in Stockholm into Flox Intelligence.
Flox Intelligence uses AI to communicate with animals, using each species’ own language to deter and detect their presence. Traditional sonic deterrents lose effectiveness over time due to animals adapting to the noise. However, Flox Intelligence’s technology can classify animal behavior and then produce a tailor-made playlist that will adjust what it plays based on animal responses. Since launching, Flox Intelligence has logged communication with 27 species over 60,000 animal interactions[CG1] . This variety is one aspect of this work that excites Nozkova.
“[It’s] the emails and all the inbounds we get with all the different use cases that keep finding us,” Nozkova said. “From working with monkeys in Singapore to seals in Sweden to grizzly bears in Canada, we get it all.”
As Flox Intelligence expanded, Nozkova and the Flox Intelligence team were spending an increasing about of time traveling between the U.S. and Europe. Nozkova knew Flox Intelligence needed a U.S. office to grow faster, and the GENIUS NY program offered meaningful funding and a robust uncrewed systems ecosystem in Central New York.
“We have been very lucky to have amazing mentors and advisors who have opened up their networks pretty much from day one,” Nozkova said. “Those connections have actually started to transfer into real commercial contracts now.”
In addition to the connections made through GENIUS NY advisors and mentors, the cohort itself has been an asset to the team at Flox Intelligence.
“I know this is a competition, but we have been working so closely with all the other founders and the other teams,” Nozkova said. “It feels like we got to know each other’s businesses in and out. We have really been able to help each other with intros, with different advice, or just being able to share how hard it is to be a founder.”
In the months they’ve spent as a part of GENIUS NY, Flox Intelligence expanded their team in Central New York and raised $3 million during a Seed+ round. The company continues to work on transitioning from research and development to deploying certified products. Flox Intelligence will pitch to a panel of judges as they compete for the $1 million GENIUS NY grand prize at Innovation Night this May. The event features GENIUS NY Pitch Finals, and serves a celebration of the entire Syracuse innovation ecosystem by bringing together community members, entrepreneurs and industry experts. Get your ticket today!
