Nightingale Security

About Nightingale Security

Nightingale Security, established in 2014, provides robotic aerial security (RAS) for enterprise-level clients and government agencies. The company was founded by CEO Jack Wu and CTO John Hsu. Wu's background is in consumer internet, application design, and gaming, where he founded a company that developed user pattern recognition and anomaly detection technologies. His interest in military history and the strategic importance of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) inspired the company's formation. Hsu brings extensive experience in robotics and autonomous vehicles, with a Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford and early career work at SpaceX and the Open Source Robotics Foundation.

The company's core offering is a fully autonomous security system that integrates drones, base stations, and intelligent software to patrol and protect large-scale facilities. This 'drone-in-a-box' solution is designed for continuous, 24/7 operation and can be deployed for autonomous rapid response to alarms, scheduled patrols, and manual surveillance missions. The system operates on a Robot-as-a-Service (RaaS) business model, where clients pay a recurring fee for the hardware, software, maintenance, and support. This model serves clients in sectors such as critical infrastructure, defense, oil and gas, and data centers.

Nightingale's product, featuring the 'Blackbird' drone, is engineered to be mission-ready and can be airborne in under 30 seconds. The drones are designed to operate in adverse weather conditions, including rain, snow, and high winds. A key differentiator is its edge computing capability, which allows the system to operate and process data on-premise, without reliance on a cloud connection, ensuring functionality even if networks are down. The system integrates with existing security infrastructure like ground sensors and gunshot detection systems to provide immediate aerial verification of threats. Nightingale was the first company in its field to receive FAA exemptions for both nighttime and multi-drone operations. The company has received funding through various stages, including a seed round in 2016 and an IPO in 2022, and has secured contracts with entities like the U.S. Air Force.