Verkada
Series C+Raised Since FeaturedSafer, smarter buildings
Cloud-based physical security platform unifying video surveillance, access control, intercoms, alarms, and air quality sensors under a single pane of glass.
About
Verkada builds an integrated, cloud-managed physical security platform that combines video security cameras, access control, intercoms, environmental sensors, and alarms โ all managed through a single browser-based interface. Founded in 2016 by four Stanford alumni who previously built and sold CourseRank to Chegg, the company was born when co-founder Hans Robertson experienced a break-in at Cisco Meraki and discovered his enterprise security cameras had been non-functional for months. Verkada has grown to serve over 30,000 customers across 85+ countries, surpassing $1 billion in annualized bookings. The platform leverages on-camera AI processing for features like people analytics, license plate recognition, and anomaly detection, while its cloud-first architecture eliminates the need for on-premises servers and NVRs.
DailyDropout Take
Verkada caught our eye as the rare hardware+software company executing the Meraki playbook for physical security โ cloud-first, zero on-prem infrastructure, and a unified platform that replaces fragmented vendor stacks. Founded by four Stanford alumni (including a Cisco Meraki co-founder), they've scaled to $1B+ in annualized bookings and a $5.8B valuation, validating that enterprise physical security was ripe for a cloud-native overhaul.
Discovery signal: Meraki co-founder pedigree, Stanford founding team with prior successful exit (CourseRank to Chegg), rapid revenue growth in large legacy market
What Makes Them Unique
Verkada combines hardware (cameras, sensors, locks) and software in a single cloud-managed platform โ eliminating NVRs, on-prem servers, and fragmented vendor stacks. Its on-camera AI processing and unified command interface set it apart from legacy competitors that bolt cloud features onto decades-old architectures.
$1B+
Annualized Bookings
30,000+
Customers
85+
Countries
$5.8B
Valuation
~1,700
Employees
Target Markets
Founders
Filip Kaliszan
Co-Founder & CEO
Co-created CourseRank at Stanford (acquired by Chegg), then served as Director of Product Management at Chegg. Holds BS and MS in Computer Science from Stanford University.
Hans Robertson
Co-Founder & Executive Chairman
Co-founder and former COO of Meraki, which was acquired by Cisco for .2B. The idea for Verkada originated from a break-in at Meraki where the security cameras had been non-functional for months.
James Ren
Co-Founder & Software Architect
Co-created CourseRank at Stanford. Software engineer at Google and Chegg. Holds BS and MS in CS from Stanford and a JD from Harvard Law School.
Benjamin Bercovitz
Co-Founder
Former CTO of CourseRank and Principal Engineer at Chegg, where he led backend transformation through Chegg's IPO. Stanford CS graduate.
Verkada is hiring!
Team size: ~1,700
Funding History
Lead: First Round Capital
Lead: Next47
Lead: Sequoia Capital
Valuation: $1.6B
Lead: Felicis Ventures
Valuation: $3.2B
Lead: BDT & MSD Partners
Valuation: $4.5B
Lead: General Catalyst
Valuation: $5.8B
Lead: CapitalG
Investors
Firms
Press & News
Security startup Verkada hits .8 billion valuation in latest funding round led by CapitalG
Security device startup Verkada raises funding at .8B valuation
Verkada raises M in funding to continue delivering category-defining security solutions
Verkada reaches .8B valuation amid rising demand for AI-driven physical security