Michael Martin

Michael Martin is a leading voice on public safety, personal security, and technology innovation. Michael has spoken before federal agencies and at top industry events on innovation, technology, safety, and security. Michael is co-founder and CEO of RapidSOS, an advanced emergency tech start-up, commercializing technology to predict and preempt emergencies before they occur, dynamically warn people in harm’s way, and ensure that first responders are one touch away globally.

Michael’s personal experiences around the challenges of emergency communication led him to found RapidSOS in 2013. In 2012, Michael was followed home one night in Harlem, NYC, when he realized how difficult it is to get help when you need it most. More recently, Michael’s father fell off the roof of his childhood home while trying to clear snow. For nearly two hours, Michael’s father lay in the frozen driveway with a broken wrist and shattered hip, unable to reach 911 from his cell phone. It wasn’t until Michael’s mother came home from work and was able to dial 911 from the home’s landline phone that an ambulance was called.

Michael brings extensive experience in start-up commercialization, financing, and strategy to RapidSOS. Previously, Michael worked at Braemar Energy Ventures, a New York-based firm with over $600 million AUM, focused on both traditional and alternative energy industries, as well as efficiency-related IT areas. Michael also co-founded MS Consulting, a start-up strategy, financing, and operations consulting company with clients in the internet and mobile sectors. Between Braemar and MS Consulting, Michael served as a Board Member or Board Observer for eight companies in four countries. Before Braemar, Michael worked at Piper Jaffray in the Clean Technology Group. In the course of his principal investing activities and advisory work, Michael assisted nearly 50 companies commercialize their technologies, helping them secure in excess of $2 billion of capital.

Michael holds an MBA with High Distinction from Harvard Business School, where he received the R.F. Jasse Distinguished Award in Entrepreneurship and Leadership (top entrepreneurship award for class of 2015) and was named one of the “World’s Best & Brightest MBAs” and one of the top two HBS ‘15 graduates by Poets & Quants. Michael received his BA Summa Cum Laude from Carleton College, where he was a Rhodes Scholar Finalist. In 2017, Michael was named to the top of Forbes 30 Under 30 Healthcare list.

Michael has published pieces in a variety of media outlets, including the Washington Post, has been featured on the homepage of MIT and across national media including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Newsweek, Fox News, TechCrunch, New Scientist, Smithsonian Magazine, and Popular Mechanics.