For many, the issue of safety comes up only after something goes wrong. Mumbai-based wants to make safety preventive, rather than reactive. Founded by Onkar Sonalker in 2022, the safety tech startup is building a “humanised safety” ecosystem for people and pets using hardware, software, AI, and 24/7 support.
Sonalker, a computer science postgraduate from Georgia Institute of Technology, returned to India 15 years ago after working with US startups. He, along with Pramoud Rao, the former promoter and MD of Zicom, a once high-flying security systems firm, and Satosh Pide, noticed a clear gap in the country’s security infrastructure. They found existing tools like government apps and police helplines lacked what people needed: peace of mind and a true sense of security.
With Rao’s 30 years of experience in security, the Zimaxx team set out to create an app-based safety system. “I used to deal with building security, but we realised it’s time to shift focus from buildings to humans,” Rao says, who is the mentor of the company. The founders spoke to senior citizens, employees, and pet owners to understand their daily fears and concerns. These insights shaped Zimaxx’s safety services, delivered through apps, trackers, and a 24/7 support station.
Safety features
Zimaxx’s services don’t just react to threats, but anticipate the user’s anxiety. The startup currently operates two digital platforms: Dial 4567, focused on personal safety for people, and Captain India – Pet Safety, built specifically for pet protection.
Dial 4567 is a mobile app with three primary functions.
The first, Travel Safe, acts like a virtual guard for users travelling alone or to unfamiliar places. When a user checks in, Zimaxx’s command centre tracks their journey until they reach safely. “If there’s an emergency or the person feels unsafe, we trigger SOS mode, capture their GPS location, 15 seconds of audio and video, and alert our safety officers,” Rao says. “If needed, we alert the nearest police station.” Zimaxx has a team of 54 safety officers available online to monitor and respond to such alerts.
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The second feature, SOS, ensures a rapid response during critical moments. And the third, Lost and Found, uses QR stickers on personal items like laptops or phones to help return lost belongings via Zimaxx’s support station.
The startup primarily has customers in Delhi, as well as in Mumbai and Bengaluru.
The company also offers home monitoring cameras, some with AI features like motion and fall detection, designed for families with elderly parents. The system flags unusual inactivity and sends alerts to family members.
To support these services, Zimaxx runs a 24/7 command centre, operated by a team of 12 people. In total, the company employs 24 staff. Its AI engine also plays a role in managing SOS alerts. “If four alerts come in at the same time, the AI looks at gender, time, and location to prioritise responses,” CEO Sonalker says. “For instance, a woman raising an alert at midnight is automatically pushed to the top of the queue.”
Business model
The startup follows a B2B2C model, offering its services to companies as part of employee benefit packages. It packages its services as a “safety perk” for HR teams to offer them alongside benefits like insurance, Provident Fund, or Employees’ State Insurance.
The basic plan for corporates is priced at Rs 1,999 annually per user, and includes one free ambulance service. The premium plan, priced at Rs 4,999, includes unlimited access to personal counselling over the basic plan.
Zimaxx’s first corporate client was Great Eastern Shipping, and since then, the startup has amassed 14,000 active users across nine companies. The company is in discussions with other large organisations and expects this number to grow.
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Zimaxx’s pet safety services run on a B2C model through its Captain India app. The app supports GPS and Bluetooth trackers, 2G and 4G location devices, and QR-coded collars, priced between Rs 4,500 and Rs 7,000. These products are available on platforms like Amazon and Shopify. The app connects to the same 24/7 safety station used for human services, helping track and recover lost pets.
“The biggest challenge is mindset. People love their pets but hesitate to spend even Rs 1,000 on their safety,” Rao says. “It’s the same with human safety; people think accidents happen to others, not them. We’re trying to change that.”
Zimaxx is now preparing to expand its services. By the end of 2025, it plans to launch a safety ecosystem for senior citizens, with features like dementia support and location tracking. Priced at $99 per year, the service will initially target NRIs with ageing parents in India.
“There’s a lot of guilt among children living abroad. We want to ease that,” Rao says.
There is also an ID verification service for gig workers in the offing, scheduled to be launched in Q4 2025. This feature will allow users and housing societies to verify the identity of delivery agents, cab drivers, and service professionals through Aadhaar-linked facial scans and QR codes. “We want to make sure the person at your door is who they claim to be,” Sonalker says. The system replaces video door phones with a tech-backed process of verifying ID and facial data in real time.
Zimaxx is bootstrapped with Rs 6.5 crore from the founders, mentor, and family. For now, the team is focused on scaling before approaching external investors.
While cameras and trackers are sourced from third-party partners, all AI systems and applications are developed in-house using foundational models.
In terms of competition, Zimaxx sees limited direct challengers in the B2B human safety space. In the pet safety space, Zimaxx faces competition from brands like GPS 365 and some unbranded imports available online. But Rao emphasises that Zimaxx differentiates itself with end-to-end service, with continuous support and a connected safety ecosystem.
On the pet safety front, he says, “We are targeting India’s large but still underdeveloped market with over 33 million pets.” While the global pet care industry is mature and growing, Rao says the market in India is still in its early stages, with limited awareness and adoption.
Despite the challenges of slow adoption and low awareness, Zimaxx remains committed to its mission. “People once said CCTV cameras wouldn’t sell in India. Today, even a tea shop has one,” Rao says. “It takes time, but change does happen.”
Edited by Kanishk Singh
