Iron Dome of wildfires: Israeli start-up offers revolutionary solution

In response to one of the biggest challenges of the climate crisis, Israeli start-up FireDome™ is developing revolutionary technology that will change the way we respond to dangerous wildfires. The company, which recently announced a $4.5 million fundraising round, reveals an innovative solution that combines computer vision, advanced algorithms, and dedicated hardware. All of this is aimed at operating an automatic and immediate fire-extinguishing system on-site, well before the fire spreads and damages assets and communities.

FireDome's advanced technology includes the launch of capsules with flame-retardant material to prevent the spread of flames and for immediate detection and response to ignition points. Inspired by the Iron Dome system, this innovative solution offers two layers of protection, safeguarding agricultural assets, infrastructure, and essential services, particularly in wildfire-prone areas.

The company presents an ambitious vision—to become the core platform in the Fire-Tech (fire protection technologies) industry, advancing the world toward a future where we can more intelligently and efficiently deal with the consequences of the climate crisis.

The company completed a Pre-Seed funding round of $3 million, led by Israeli climate-tech fund Gravity and American fund Third Sphere. The round also included the German fund Caesar, which is investing in an Israeli start-up for the first time, as well as the Atooro and Vertex funds. Additionally, the company received a $1.5 million grant from the Innovation Authority.

FireDome’s system provides two layers of protection for assets located in areas with a high risk of wildfire damage. The first is the creation of a resilient perimeter barrier using flame-retardant material, launched inside capsules from a mechanical launcher near the asset. This is designed to prevent flames from entering and causing massive damage to the asset and its surroundings.

The second is the detection and extinguishing of new spot fires within seconds, starting at the asset due to embers blown by the wind up to kilometers away. This is based on sensor-based computer vision that detects ignition points and an algorithm that directs the launcher to fire a capsule at the fire to extinguish it.

FireDome was founded in 2024 by Gadi Benjamini, the company's CEO, and Dr. Adi Naor Pomerantz, the CTO. Gadi Benjamini served for 14 years in various senior command positions in the Research Division and Unit 81 of the IDF Intelligence Directorate (AMAN), where he led strategic projects, one of which won the Israel Security Prize. He was also involved in another project that won the Israel Security Prize in cooperation with the Prime Minister's Office.

Adi Naor Pomerantz, who also served in Unit 81, holds a PhD in Materials Engineering and Electrochemistry from Tel Aviv University. Before founding FireDome, Naor Pomerantz worked for about 10 years at SolarEdge, where her last position was Head of the R&D Department for Material Development. One of the company’s senior advisors is Brigadier General (Res.) Pinchas (Pini) Yongman, one of the founders of the Iron Dome and David's Sling systems, who is contributing greatly to the development of FireDome's layered defense concept against wildfires. The company employs 7 people in its Tel Aviv office.

Gadi Beniminy, co-founder and CEO of FireDome, said: "Global warming in recent years has intensified the phenomenon of wildfires, both in terms of the scale of the fires and their deadliness. In 2023, the U.S. Senate estimated the cost of direct and indirect damage from wildfires to be between $400 billion and $900 billion.

Fires that consumed about a billion acres of forests in 2023 released about 1.8 gigatons of CO2 into the atmosphere, a phenomenon that amplifies global warming and causes climate disasters, including wildfires, floods, and hurricanes, to worsen. Therefore, alongside reducing greenhouse gas emissions, technological solutions are needed to help humanity adapt to climate changes. Target audiences for this solution are varied—from asset owners in sectors such as agriculture, recreation, and infrastructure (like water and electricity) to fire stations and insurance companies that are forced to pay huge sums as compensation for wildfire damage and even refrain from providing insurance to property owners in high-risk wildfire areas."

Beniminy added: "Traditional firefighting systems today struggle to cope with wildfires due to their increasing scale and intensity. FireDome belongs to a new technological vertical, Fire-Tech, a sub-vertical of the climate-tech sector that harnesses the most advanced technologies to solve an existential problem for humanity.

The funds raised now and the trust of investors will enable us to establish ourselves as one of the leading companies in this emerging market, which is becoming based on advanced interdisciplinary technologies. Our vision is to form partnerships with other companies in the fire-tech industry to create the full value chain for protecting communities from wildfires: Educating communities to improve the preparedness of their properties, monitoring and early detection of small fires, and FireDome technology for rapid response to extinguish the fire."

Tzafrir Yoeli, co-founder of Gravity Climate, said: "We found in FireDome the perfect combination of brilliant founders with high execution capabilities and technology that addresses one of the greatest environmental and commercial challenges caused by the climate crisis. The increasing scope and severity of wildfires are driving up the cost of insurance policies, both for commercial and private assets. This creates a large demand for dedicated fire protection solutions, and FireDome's groundbreaking technology is a perfect fit for this need."

Sean Abramson, Managing Partner at Third Sphere, said: "Our team has been searching for new and promising approaches for 10 years to reduce the risks of wildfires. FireDome is the first to combine detection capabilities and immediate response, especially for property owners living near wildfire-prone areas. Existing technologies reduce wildfire risk in cities using fire extinguishers and water sprinklers. FireDome aims to be the core infrastructure that will finally reduce the risk to people and assets from wildfires."

FireDome is participating in the Next October initiative to commemorate the fallen from the "Iron Swords" war, and as part of this, it honors the memory of Eden Ben Ruby, who was murdered at the Nova party on October 7, 2023.