Flox Secures $1M Seed for AI-Driven Human-Wildlife Interaction Solutions
Stockholm-based Flox, a pioneering wildlife intelligence company, has successfully closed a seed funding round of nearly $1 million, marking a significant step forward in its mission to redefine human-wildlife coexistence through advanced AI. The oversubscribed investment was spearheaded by Unconventional Ventures, with notable participation from Norrsken Accelerate and continued backing from existing pre-seed investors including Almi Invest, E14 Invest, Argand Partners, and a consortium of angel investors. This capital injection underscores a growing recognition of the urgent need for innovative solutions to mitigate the escalating conflicts between human development and wildlife.
Founded in 2020 as a research spin-off from the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Flox was established by Sara Nozkova, CEO and Co-founder, and Tomas Becklin, Co-founder and CTO, in response to the increasing pressures on wildlife due to climate change, habitat loss, and displacement. The company addresses a critical global challenge, where human-wildlife interactions lead to substantial economic losses, such as billions in annual crop damage, and pose significant safety risks, including transportation hazards like bird strikes at airports and collisions on railways. Traditional deterrents have often proven inadequate, costly, or even harmful, highlighting the demand for more sophisticated and humane approaches.
Flox’s core innovation is its AI-powered platform, centered around an autonomous device named “Edge.” This cutting-edge technology leverages adaptive bioacoustics and real-time monitoring to “speak” the language of wild animals, gently guiding them away from critical areas without causing harm. The Edge units, which are battery-powered, patrol perimeters using onboard AI to instantly detect and classify specific wildlife species. Based on this identification, the system deploys tailored acoustic signals designed to humanely deter animals, operating autonomously 24/7. All data is streamed to the Flox Wildlife Platform, providing users with live insights, analytics, and remote control capabilities, effectively acting as a “digital shepherd.”
The versatility of Flox’s technology allows for its integration across diverse environments, from stationary devices to autonomous drones and even trains, making it applicable across a wide array of industries. Current applications span agriculture, aquaculture, railways, aviation, mining, young tree plantations, public spaces, and urban settings, demonstrating its broad potential to reduce risks and costs associated with wildlife proximity.
Flox has already demonstrated impressive traction, with its first production batches for 2025 fully booked, signaling strong early market demand. The company has forged strategic partnerships with major organizations, including the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), French multinational Alstom, mining giant Boliden Minerals, GRR Airport, and the Swedish Transport Administration. These collaborations, along with successful trials at several Swedavia airports and securing key customers like the City of Stockholm, validate the effectiveness and commercial viability of Flox’s solution.
The recently secured seed funding will be instrumental in accelerating Flox’s commercial rollout, fueling continued research and development, and facilitating its strategic expansion into the lucrative U.S. market. Nora Bavey, General Partner at Unconventional Ventures, emphasized the investment’s rationale, highlighting Flox’s ability to address a globally overlooked yet urgent challenge with a scalable, tech-driven solution. Flox CEO Sara Nozkova articulated the company’s ambitious vision, stating, “Flox is the first company that truly aims to understand and speak the language of wild animals—and that will change everything.” This pioneering approach, combining deep wildlife behavior understanding with the latest AI capabilities, positions Flox to redefine how industries interact with nature, fostering genuine coexistence and safeguarding both human interests and ecological balance.