Active Defender

What Active Defender does

Active Defender is a privately held US K-12 school safety SaaS company founded in 2018 and headquartered in Carthage, North Carolina, serving 300+ school systems across 30 states. The platform is structured as three integrated layers: a daily-use workflow layer (Active Check-In for visitor management, Active Pass for student movement, Active Pickup for dismissal, Active Awareness for behavioral tracking, and Active Report for incident reporting), an activation layer (wearable, fixed, and app-based panic buttons), and a core response coordination platform called Crisis Clarity that delivers a real-time shared situational map and student accountability in under three minutes when a crisis activates. Its proprietary technology includes a network-resilient situational mapping engine engineered to remain functional during network congestion that degrades competing systems, a daily button feedback verification system, and a visitor presence tracking approach that uses visitors' own devices, none of which the company states have been replicated by competitors. The platform integrates with PowerSchool and other SIS systems via OneRoster 1.1/1.2 standards and with RapidSOS for direct 911 dispatch with live school data.

The business model is a per-staff recurring subscription at $5.75 per staff member per month, billed annually, with tiered connection/onboarding fees of $1,500 to $1,900 depending on school size, plus separately priced annual add-on modules ($500-$2,200 per campus) and a one-time LiDAR-based Active Mapping service starting at $4,900. Bundled pricing (Essentials 10%, Complete Campus 15%, District 20% for 5+ schools) drives attach rate and district consolidation. Go-to-market is a direct enterprise field sales motion targeting K-12 schools and districts, with 20-30 minute live demonstrations, a one-year free district trial offer on one campus, and deliberate emphasis on grant funding eligibility (STOP School Violence Act, Title IV Part A, state safety grants, bond measures). The company holds Alyssa's Law compliance positioning, a CE2025 Best-in-Class Panic Button Award, and has 11-50 employees. Public funding history is limited to two regional NC-based grants (NC IDEA and Center for Entrepreneurial Development), with no disclosed venture capital, M&A, or revenue.

Name

Active Defender

Legal name

Active Defender

Website

https://active-defender.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Active Defender is a privately held K-12 school safety SaaS platform serving 300+ US school systems in 30 states. It combines daily-use workflow modules, wearable and fixed panic buttons, and a Crisis Clarity coordination layer with real-time situational mapping and 911 dispatch integration.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

School Safety Software

NAICS

Security Systems Services (56162), Educational Support Services (611710), Investigation and Security Services (5616)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAJAIAF

School Safety, Security & Emergency Preparedness

Education/K–12 / Primary & Secondary Education/K–12 Student Health, Safety & Wellbeing Services (Counseling, Mental Health, SEL, Safeguarding)

SECONDARYEDAEACAD

Emergency Management & Incident Command Planning (EOP, ICS)

Education/Education Facilities & Support Services/Security, Safety & Emergency Preparedness Services (Campus Security, Access Control)

SECONDARYEDAJAHAN

Risk Management, Safety Compliance & Emergency Operations (Ops-Led)

Education/K–12 / Primary & Secondary Education/K–12 School Operations & Administration (Scheduling, SIS, Compliance)

Keywords

• School safety platform
• Crisis response software
• Panic button systems
• Visitor management software
• K-12 emergency coordination

Headquarters

HQ city

Carthage

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Crisis Clarity subscription: Core platform subscription priced per staff member per month at $5.75, billed annually. Includes all hardware (wearable, fixed, app-based buttons), training, drills, and dedicated success team. Connection/onboarding fee covers mapping and ongoing support.
2. Daily-use modules: Annual add-on modules priced per campus: Active Check-In ($2,200/yr), Active Pickup ($1,500/yr), Active Report ($500/yr), Active Awareness (not separately priced), and Active Pass ($2-6/student/year). Bundled discounts of 10-20% available.
3. Active Mapping: One-time LiDAR-based campus mapping service priced from $4,900 based on campus size. Covers initial deployment mapping.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Active Defender provides a unified K-12 school safety platform built into daily school routines, consisting of three integrated layers: daily-use workflow modules (visitor management, hall passes, dismissal coordination, behavioral awareness, incident reporting), activation hardware (wearable, fixed, and app-based panic buttons), and the core Crisis Clarity real-time response coordination platform. The platform provides situational mapping, student accountability in under 3 minutes, coordinated emergency response, and direct 911 dispatch via RapidSOS integration. It is sold as an annual subscription per staff member with modular add-ons and one-time LiDAR-based campus mapping.

Product overview

Active Defender is a single unified school safety platform with a modular architecture consisting of three layers: Daily Use modules, Activation hardware, and Crisis Clarity (the core response coordination platform). The Daily Use layer includes Active Check-In (visitor management), Active Pass (student movement/hall passes), Active Pickup (dismissal coordination), Active Awareness (behavioral tracking), and Active Report (incident reporting). These modules are designed to replace existing daily workflows so staff use them naturally, building familiarity that enables instinctive emergency response. The Activation layer includes wearable buttons, fixed buttons, and app-based activation—all serving dual purposes for everyday help requests and emergency escalation. Crisis Clarity serves as the core platform, providing real-time situational mapping, student accountability (under 3 minutes), and coordinated response via RapidSOS integration when a crisis activates. All hardware, training, drills, and adoption monitoring are included in the subscription. Bundles (Essentials, Complete Campus, District) offer pricing discounts for schools adopting multiple modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Crisis Clarity The real-time response coordination platform and core product of Active Defender. When a crisis activates, every staff member instantly sees a live situational map showing threat location, student accountability is achieved in under 3 minutes, and coordinated response is delivered across campus via RapidSOS 911 integration.
• Active Check-In Visitor management module that uses visitors' own devices to maintain real-time campus presence awareness beyond the initial check-in, with automatic sex offender screening and custom watchlist support. Feeds directly into Crisis Clarity during emergencies. Configured and live in 1 day.
• Active Pass Student movement and hall pass tracking system that replaces paper passes with digital passes created in seconds from Chromebook or wearable button. Tracks student location in real time with analytics for movement patterns. Integrates with student information systems via OneRoster.
• Active Pickup Dismissal and car rider coordination module that replaces clipboard, walkie-talkie, and manual dismissal processes with coordinated, visible, efficient dismissal. Parents are identified and child names are called before the car reaches the pickup point.
• Active Awareness Behavioral awareness and early intervention module that connects scattered behavioral concerns from teachers, counselors, and staff into visible patterns so schools can intervene early before situations escalate.
• Active Report Incident reporting and facility management module that enables staff to report safety incidents and facility issues in under 30 seconds from any device. Reports are routed to the right person and tracked to resolution.
• Wearable Button Staff-worn panic button on lanyard or badge, always with the teacher. Used daily for assistance requests and full emergency escalation. Features a button feedback system for verifying device function daily without triggering alerts.
• Fixed Button Wall or room-mounted panic button that is visible and accessible with no phone required. Used for everyday help requests and full emergency escalation.
• Active Mapping LiDAR-based campus mapping service for one-time setup. Creates detailed campus maps for the situational awareness system. Priced from $4,900 based on campus size.

Quantifiable outcome

• Student accountability achieved in under 3 minutes during crisis
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• RapidSOScoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration enables direct 911 dispatch with live school data during emergencies. When a crisis activates, RapidSOS delivers real-time situational information to first responders before they arrive on scene, improving response coordination and outcomes.
• PowerSchoolsupportingTechnology or IntegrationCertified integration with PowerSchool Student Information System through OneRoster standard, enabling automatic synchronization of rosters, class schedules, and student data across the platform.
• OneRostersupportingTechnology or IntegrationOneRoster 1.1 and 1.2 compliant integration for SIS connectivity. Enables automatic roster and schedule synchronization with student information systems.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ALICE Training Institute: ALICE Training delivers active-threat preparedness training and drills for K-12 schools, directly competing with Active Defender's Active Drills and crisis preparedness positioning while sharing the same target buyer.
• Raptor Technologies: Raptor Technologies is one of the most direct competitors to Active Defender in K-12, offering visitor management, emergency management, and school safety workflows across thousands of US school districts with comparable product breadth and similar sales motion.
• Omnilert: Omnilert provides mass notification and panic-button solutions for schools and workplaces, integrating with existing safety systems; it competes with Active Defender's activation and RapidSOS-backed 911 dispatch layer.
• CrisisGo: CrisisGo is a K-12 school safety platform offering panic buttons, real-time incident management, student accounting, and reunification—overlapping strongly with Active Defender's crisis-response and daily-use modules.
• Centegix: Centegix provides wearable panic buttons (PulsPoint) for K-12 staff with direct 911 dispatch integration, positioning itself around Alyssa's Law compliance—directly mirroring Active Defender's Crisis Clarity + RapidSOS stack.

Emerging players

• LiveSafe: LiveSafe provides a mobile safety-reporting and tip-line platform for schools and workplaces; it overlaps with Active Defender's Active Report incident-reporting and tip-line use cases while pursuing a broader market.
• Singlewire Software: Singlewire's InformaCast mass-notification platform targets education with emergency notifications and panic-button workflows, overlapping with Active Defender's Crisis Clarity coordination in K-12 deployments but focusing on broader enterprise notification.

Broad incumbents

• Navigate360: Navigate360 is a broader K-12 safety suite combining ALICE training, student wellness, behavior, and emergency management; it overlaps with Active Defender's Active Awareness and training offerings but operates across more verticals with greater scale.
• Vector Solutions (SafeSchools): Vector Solutions' SafeSchools line delivers K-12 staff training and compliance with safety/incident reporting modules that intersect with Active Defender's Active Report and Active Awareness offerings.
• SchoolMessenger (West Corporation): SchoolMessenger is an incumbent K-12 parent-communication and emergency-notification platform; while broader in messaging than Active Defender, it competes for the same district safety budgets and integrations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/active_defender
• Facebookfacebook.com/ActiveDefenderApp

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Active Defender