Developed in Liverpool, Busby is an app that detects if cyclists or horse riders have suffered a fall or crash and it has secured a seven-figure cash injection from angel investors. Tony McDonough reports

Developers of a digital app that detects when its user has been involved in an accident and alerts emergency services have secured significant funding from angel investors.

Busby, and its sister technology RoadRadar, was developed in 2019 by James Duffy, Kirk Ryan and Barry Green. Their venture is currently based in the Liverpool technology hub, Sensor City.

Busby’s incident algorithm uses the sensors on your mobile phone to detect whether you have been involved in a crash or a fall. It was launched to offer protection for cyclists but can also be used by people on motorcycles, e-scooters or by horse riders.

Once it detects you may have come to harm it automatically asks the user to confirm they are safe. It also alerts selected emergency contacts to their precise location using emergency services approved what3words, in the event they are unresponsive. 

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2021 saw the introduction of an impactful new Panic Button feature which alerts the same contacts at the press of a button, should the user feel unsafe for any reason. Claiming a 99.99% accuracy rate, Busby is currently used in more than 95 countries.

In February it secured a partnership with global e-scooter hits operator TIER to create rapid response system for riders involved in incidents. Based in Berlin in Germany, TIER hires out e-scooters in 60 cities across nine countries and launched in the UK in 2020.

Now a seven-figure funding package secured through the LCR Angel Network will allow Busby to further develop the services and features it offers whilst also bolstering the team.

In addition, Busby will be fully launching through Apple iOS and providing further opportunity for potential commercial partnerships such as those entered with Deliveroo and Sweatcoin.

James Duffy, co-founder and operations director of Busby, said: “Not only does this reaffirm what we’ve been working towards for the past six years with the faith shown in the team and the Busby platform by such discerning investors but it also allows us a step closer to achieving our dream of improving personal safety for users around the world.”

Originally founded in 2018, the LCR Angel Network aims to promote growth and funding support in the Liverpool city region and is recognised as part of the wider UK Business Angels Association.

Angel investors are wealthy individuals who provide capital for early stage businesses or start-ups, usually in exchange for convertible debt or ownership equity. This method has been popularised by the BBC reality show Dragons’ Den.

Marc d’Abbadie, head of equity at LCR Angel Network co-founder MSIF’s wholly-owned subsidiary AFM, added: “We are very happy to see Busby secure the LCR Angel Network’s largest funding round to date.

“It demonstrates the continued momentum for businesses receiving angel investment following our events and is a testament to the strength in depth of the LCR Angel Network’s offering in terms both of the companies and investors who attend.”