Hakimo - Experts & Thought Leaders

Hakimo, the pioneer in AI-powered physical security monitoring platforms, announces the launch of Forensic Search, a new capability that allows security teams to instantly search and investigate video footage using natural language without the need of any expensive server infrastructure. With Forensic Search, users can simply type queries like “person in a red shirt,” “person opening car door,” or “red car in parking lot,” and retrieve relevant moments from hours, or even days of recorded footage in seconds. The feature also includes powerful filters for camera, location, and time range, enabling faster, more precise investigations. Improving response outcomes Traditionally, security teams spend countless hours manually scrubbing through video footage after an incident. Hakimo’s Forensic Search eliminates this bottleneck by combining computer vision, event detection, and semantic search, helping teams uncover critical evidence faster, reduce investigation time, and improve response outcomes. “Security teams shouldn’t have to waste hours searching through video just to find one key moment,” expressed Sam Joseph, Co-founder and CEO of Hakimo. “With Forensic Search, we’re turning video into a searchable intelligence layer. Our goal is to help teams go from incident to insight in seconds, so they can focus on prevention, not playback.” Streamlining security operations Forensic Search is built to support property managers, auto dealerships, security teams, and law enforcement, empowering them to conduct faster investigations, improve accountability, and strengthen overall safety operations. This launch builds on Hakimo’s broader mission to modernize physical security by building an AI-powered monitoring platform with an optional human-in-the-loop offering. This transforms standard cameras and other security sensors into intelligent, AI-driven systems that can detect threats, prevent incidents, and streamline security operations at scale.

With surging crime rates, acute security staffing shortages, and mounting false alarms, organisations are desperately seeking smarter ways to strengthen their security while reducing costs. Hakimo, a pioneer in AI-powered physical security monitoring, announced a $10.5 million funding round and the launch of AI Operator, a breakthrough autonomous security agent that monitors existing security hardware, detects threats in real time, and executes response protocols just like a human security professional.  Computer vision and generative AI Hakimo's AI Operator combines computer vision and generative AI to monitor existing security hardware The Series A funding round was led by Vertex Ventures and Zigg Capital with participation from RXR Arden Digital Ventures and existing investors Defy.vc and Gokul Rajaram. Hakimo has now raised a total of $20.5 million, including prior funding rounds led by Neotribe Ventures and Rocketship.vc. Hakimo's AI Operator combines computer vision and generative AI to monitor existing security hardware such as cameras and badge readers. Traditional security approaches Unlike conventional systems, it can detect any anomaly or potential threat that can be described in words – a breakthrough in physical security monitoring.  Beyond detection, the system issues real-time speaker warnings and executes standard operating procedures (SOPs) to respond to incidents, with human operators providing intervention only when necessary. This AI-human collaboration delivers superior protection at a fraction of the cost of traditional security approaches. New era of AI-driven security The system issues real-time speaker warnings and executes SOPs to respond to incidents "Hakimo has pioneered a new era of AI-driven security by creating an intelligent AI agent that understands and responds to threats like never before." "We’re not just automating security—we’re redefining it with AI that can recognise and act on any security event and deliver unmatched protection for businesses worldwide," said Sam Joseph, Co-Founder & CEO of Hakimo.  Vision of autonomous security monitoring Hakimo was founded in early 2020 by Sam Joseph and Sagar Honnungar, Stanford-trained AI experts with backgrounds in building enterprise-grade software as a service (SaaS). The duo launched Hakimo after identifying converging trends: exploding camera deployments, plummeting hardware costs, and rapid advancements in computer vision. The founders recognised the potential for AI to reinvent physical security and have since assembled a talented, growing team of engineers and industry professionals to execute their vision of autonomous security monitoring. Hakimo's solution Hakimo eliminates these challenges while offering the advantages of both on-site guards Hakimo's solution comes at a critical inflection point for physical security. The traditional manned guarding industry struggles with severe hiring and quality challenges, while alarm monitoring services face growing issues with false alarms and police departments increasingly refusing to respond to unverified alerts. By leveraging existing cameras, AI capabilities, and remote operators, Hakimo eliminates these challenges while offering the advantages of both on-site guards and traditional alarm systems. Hakimo's technology The company has experienced explosive growth over the past year, tripling its customer base and securing more than a hundred clients across diverse industries, including multifamily apartments, car dealerships, construction sites, and Fortune 500 enterprises. In 2024 alone, Hakimo's technology prevented thousands of security incidents, assisted law enforcement in multiple arrests, and even saved a life. Hakimo’s AI agent The technology's impact extends beyond the scope of traditional security applications “We got a drastic reduction in trespassing right after deploying Hakimo, and I now sleep better at night with the peace-of-mind provided by Hakimo’s AI agent,” said Rodrigo Duran, General Manager at Kia Santa Maria, one of those customers.  The technology's impact extends beyond the scope of traditional security applications. Its ability to monitor multiple sites simultaneously while maintaining human-level reasoning has proven transformative for businesses seeking comprehensive security without the escalating costs and reliability issues of conventional approaches. AI + Services approach Commenting on the investment, Piyush Kharbanda, General Partner of Vertex Ventures SEA & India, said, “We are very excited to partner with the Hakimo team, who are bringing ground-up technological innovation to the large but antiquated physical security industry." "There is a dire need for innovation, as current solutions lack the speed or accuracy to offer affordable real-time protection for offline businesses. Hakimo bridges this gap with an AI + Services approach, coupling the speed of cutting-edge vision AI algorithms with the reliability of humans-in-the-loop, thus delivering a 10x better service at more affordable rates.” Security monitoring ecosystem Ryan Orley, Managing Partner at Zigg Capital, added: “After studying the security monitoring ecosystem, our team concluded that Hakimo’s AI + Services solution is more robust and offers better value than any other technology we have encountered." "Hakimo’s capabilities at its accessible price point are without peer. In fact, I became a Hakimo customer before our firm’s investment”. New standard for AI-powered security “Hakimo is transforming physical security with AI, delivering real-time threat detection and smarter operations," said Neil Sequeira, Founder & Partner, Defy.vc. "At Defy, we back bold teams tackling big challenges, and Sam and Sagar’s vision aligns perfectly with that mission." "We’re excited to support Hakimo as they scale and set a new standard for AI-powered security.”

Hakimo, an award-winning technology company dedicated to modernising physical security through its artificial intelligence (AI) software announced a reseller partnership with international systems integrator Convergint, a global pioneer in service-based systems integration. The partnership will enable Convergint to offer Hakimo’s AI-powered security solutions to its customers across the globe.  Hakimo platform The Hakimo platform uses computer vision and machine learning to automate the monitoring of physical security sensors such as cameras and badge readers. The platform also provides an option to communicate warnings through speakers when it detects unwanted activity such as a person entering an area where they do not belong. This first-of-its-kind platform natively integrates with enterprise video and access control systems to provide one unified solution that responds to alarms automatically exposes potential insider threats and detects faulty cameras and door hardware, thereby enabling organisations to enhance overall security, efficiency, and compliance in a way that no other company in the industry has touched upon. AI-powered security solutions Our partnership will make it even easier for businesses and organisations to improve their security posture" Convergint has been ranked #1 in the SDM Magazine’s Top Systems Integrators Report for six consecutive years and works with a variety of businesses across different verticals, including financial and educational institutions, healthcare facilities, and state and federal governments. “We are excited to partner with Convergint to bring our AI-powered security solutions to more customers around the world,” said Sam Joseph, Co-Founder and CEO of Hakimo. “With Convergint being the pioneering security solutions provider with a strong presence globally, our partnership will make it even easier for businesses and organisations to improve their security posture.”  Recognition and awards Hakimo has been recognised with prestigious security industry awards including the Security Industry Association’s 2022 New Products and Solutions Judges’ Choice award. In addition, the Security Executive Council, a research and advisory firm governed by former corporate chief security officers, validated the efficacy of the Hakimo solution. Recently, National Safe Skies Alliance, Inc., a nonprofit organisation funded by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), completed an operational test and evaluation of the solution.  Improve security “There’s growing interest around AI in the security industry, and Hakimo is uniquely positioned to offer businesses of all sizes this innovative technology to enhance and improve security capabilities,” said Joe Young, VP of Global Partner Development and Strategic Alliances at Convergint. “We are excited to partner with Hakimo and offer its platform to our customers to continue providing top-of-the-line solutions and services." Convergint customers can work directly with their representative and Convergint’s Digital Transformation team to learn more about Hakimo and the partnership.

According to a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to transform all sectors of society, including national security. The physical security marketplace is certainly feeling the impact of the new technology, which has quickly gained prominence as one of the industry’s most popular buzzwords. To assess the more practical aspects of the situation, we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How is artificial intelligence (AI) changing the course of the security marketplace?

Integration of access control and video has been a reality for decades. The combination of our industry’s dominant technologies provides a one-two punch when it comes to maximising the security benefits of a system. Access control tracks ‘events,’ while video provides visibility into those events. But the benefits of integrating video and access control are far from static. Rather, today’s systems are becoming even more valuable as they incorporate elements such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the cloud. Regarding integration of video and access control, we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable a simple question: What’s new?

Cloud systems faced early resistance from physical security end users concerned about a perceived lack of control of data that ‘leaves’ their premises. More recently, mass adoption of cloud systems reflects widespread confidence in these systems to protect the data they handle. However, there are physical security professionals who remain concerned about cloud-based systems from the perspective of cybersecurity. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How can the industry address cybersecurity concerns of cloud-based systems?