Prime Minute exits stealth with $15M to fight wildfires faster

What's the deal? Prime Minute emerged from stealth on September 24, 2026, with $15 million in pre-seed funding led by Eclipse, with participation from 8VC. The Palo Alto-based startup is building systems for natural disaster response, starting with rapid wildfire suppression.

What's the endgame? Prime Minute combines real-time intelligence, AI-assisted mission analysis, and precision aerial suppression to help responders act in the first hour of an incident. Its technology is designed to work when traditional methods cannot — during high winds, nighttime incidents, degraded visibility, and when ground crews cannot reach the scene.

Why now? Wildfires cause an estimated $424 billion in annual damages across the US, and the earliest moments often decide whether a fire is contained or grows into a disaster. "The first hour of an incident often determines its ultimate impact," said Gabe Sganga, chief growth officer and co-founder.

The company draws on approaches historically reserved for national security missions. Its team includes former operators from Palantir, Forterra, and Datorios.

Where the money goes: The funding will support technology development, local manufacturing, team expansion, and testing. Prime Minute is working with the State of Colorado to deploy prototypes for field evaluation later this year.

The signal: US$9.71M pre-seed round is large for an early-stage US security company, ranking above the 97th percentile among comparable rounds. "Meeting that challenge requires more than another point solution," said Lior Susan, founder and chief executive officer of Eclipse — a sign investors see infrastructure resilience as the next frontier for defense-grade technology.

Image credit: Prime Minute