HisWay Labs raises seed round to take theft-proof rail sensor global
What's the deal? Cape Town-based HisWay LabsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has raised a seed round led by technology investment and product development firm Octoco GroupDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. The startup makes TrackView, a rail-integrity monitoring system, and will use the backing to prepare for international expansion.
What's the endgame? Founded in 2018, HisWay Labs built TrackView for conditions where conventional rail equipment fails. The solar-powered sensor uses no copper cabling and no batteries — the two components that make trackside infrastructure a prime target for theft.
It is engineered to withstand extreme heat, dust, flooding, and tampering, monitoring rail integrity and train positioning around the clock with minimal maintenance.
Why now? TrackView has earned certification and product type approval from the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) and is deployed commercially with Siemens MobilityDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. It is now in field trials in the United States, and HisWay Labs is exhibiting this month at InnoTrans in Germany — the world's largest transport technology trade fair — to build European partnerships.
What they're saying: "HisWay Labs has turned one of our most damaging infrastructure challenges into a globally competitive product," said Heinrich de Lange, Octoco Group's managing director. He added that backing the startup is "a chance to help restore confidence in our own rail network while proving that world-class industrial hardware can come from here."
The signal: A product built for South Africa's harsh rail conditions is now drawing international demand — evidence that infrastructure hardware designed for tough markets can travel to easier ones.
Read more: disruptafrica.com
Image credit: Kecko
