The Awareness Company

The Awareness Company is a South African software-as-a-service (SaaS) firm that provides data-driven insights for operational efficiency and sustainability. It was founded in April 2018 by Priaash Ramadeen (CEO), Shazia Vawda (CTO), and Estelle Lubbe (CXO), who previously collaborated for over a decade in the public sector on research and innovation projects, including technology to combat wildlife poaching. This background in creating technology for real-world issues, such as protecting rhinos, inspired the formation of the company.

The company's flagship product is HYDRA, an AI-powered platform that aggregates data from any source, including IoT devices, sensors, and existing business systems, to provide unified, actionable insights. HYDRA is designed to reduce technical costs and enhance decision-making in sectors like energy, water, agriculture, conservation, security, and asset management. The platform offers features for instant data creation, smart integration, and proactive issue detection, delivering historical insights, real-time awareness, and future predictions to help organizations address sustainability challenges. The business model is B2B, targeting clients such as large enterprises, property investors, and organizations with sustainability goals, including Old Mutual and Eskom.

In early 2023, the company pivoted to sharpen its focus on sustainability. It has since secured $1.6 million in seed funding from a consortium of investors, including NEXT176, Catalyst Fund, Holocene, E Squared, Aions, and Jozi Angels. This capital is being used to scale marketing and sales operations and to further develop HYDRA's AI capabilities. The Awareness Company aims to expand its presence across Africa and into the European Union.

Keywords: operational sustainability, data aggregation, AI platform, situational awareness software, climate-tech, asset management, data analytics, IoT integration, sustainability reporting, resource efficiency, enterprise software, real-time data insights, risk reduction, predictive analytics, water management, energy management, smart infrastructure, conservation technology, B2B SaaS, data storytelling