Cataclysms are a growth industry

May 26, 2021

Danny Crichton, a TechCrunch reporter and disaster tech expert, discusses his exploration into the market of technology solutions for crises. He highlights startups like Dorothy, which offers bridge loans for hurricane victims, and Cornea, helping firefighters understand wildfires better. The conversation dives into the evolving sales cycles due to climate change and the vital role of data in disaster response. Crichton also touches on the importance of mental health technology for recovery, painting a picture of how innovation can empower communities in distress.

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INSIGHT

Disaster Tech Niche

Disaster tech is a growing niche due to increasing disasters.
This area includes startups focused on various aspects of disaster response.

INSIGHT

Venture Returns

Venture-level returns in disaster tech are possible but challenging.
Long government contracts (7-10 years) offer stability after initial difficulty.

ANECDOTE

Disaster Tech Sales Cycle

The sales cycle in disaster tech is long and unpredictable.
Work often stops when a disaster hits, as agencies shift to response mode.

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For this week’s deep dive, Alex and Natasha dug into Danny's latest mega-project: A long, fascinating, and deeply-reported series into the world of disaster tech. It's all about the market, startups, and their backers, so it was perfect fare for our Wednesday episode, in which we dive deep into a single topic.

Part 1: The most disastrous sales cycle in the world

Part 2: Data was the new oil, until the oil caught fire

Part 3: When the Earth is gone, at least the internet will still be working

Part 4: The human-focused startups of the hellfire

We were super curious why Danny had picked disaster tech to niche into, as we hadn't heard that much about it, frankly. But past the fact that it's a world where sales cycles can last as long as House Congressional tenures, there was quite a lot to get into:

Consumer: Dorothy wants to to provide bridge loans to folks who get rekt by a hurricane. As government, and insurance money can take ages to arrive, the startup could be onto something. and Perimeter wants to take data, and help folks actually know where to go when there is am emergency.
Data: Danny's deep dive into the world of data in the disaster space came with a provocative headline, but the market backs him up. In this space we took a look at Cornea, which just raised $15 million to help firefighters better understand conflagrations, and Gridware raised $5.3 million to install boxes on power lines. Very smart boxes, we should add.
Mental health: We end with a riff on how companies are preparing humans to better handle disaster before and after it strikes. Alto Neuroscience, which is a stealthy startup founded by Amit Etkin, is looking to solve PTSD with brain-wave data, while NeuroFlow uses polling, and savvy collabs with practitioners to monitor emerging symptoms. Psychedelic therapeutics also might have some opportunity to shine thanks to Osmind.

The series was fun to mine through, and expect Danny's byline to be all over the topic in the coming weeks. Talk soon, unless - actually especially, if - all of hell breaks loose!

Credits: Equity is produced by Theresa Loconsolo with editing by Kell. Bryce Durbin is our Illustrator. We'd also like to thank the audience development team and Henry Pickavet, who manages TechCrunch audio products.

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