13 March 2023

Phare Labs secures £300k to advance domestic fire alarm technology

The London startup raised the funds from British Design Fund and other backers to move from prototype to production.

£300K

Share allotment filed at Companies House

London based startup redesigning domestic smoke alarms and indoor air quality monitors using machine learning.

London based Phare Labs has secured £300k in a funding round featuring specialist funds and angel investors. The raise includes £125k from British Design Fund. The capital will support the company as it transitions from prototype to production over the coming year and prepares to introduce its devices to properties in the UK and internationally.

Founded by mechanical engineer Daniel McBride and design engineer Arnau Donate, the startup addresses issues with traditional smoke detection technology developed in the 1970s. Phare Labs combines smoke detection with indoor air quality monitoring and machine learning algorithms to reduce false alarms while improving accuracy.

From the founder

"The idea for Phare came from my own personal experience with smoke detectors. Our alarm kept going off, so naturally, being an engineer, I took it apart to take a closer look. I realised the technology was really simple and after reading up on the effectiveness of current alarms, I knew there had to be a better solution. With our engineering backgrounds, myself and Arnau felt well suited to take on the challenge!"

Daniel McBride

Cofounder at Phare Labs

Investor perspective

"Phare Labs is a fantastic example of a startup that spotted a problem and set about engineering a solution with the potential to make a real difference for householders across the world. We’re delighted to have the team as part of our portfolio and look forward to working closely with them, as they commercialise their brand and products in the coming months."