TrailSense is a defense and homeland security technology company building the next generation of Unattended Ground Sensors (UGS) — ultra-compact, low-cost, cloud-connected devices that detect mobile devices and RF signatures in the field. The platform pairs hardware nodes with a live AI-powered app dashboard and cloud backend, enabling border patrol, law enforcement, military, and private operators to deploy a scalable early-warning sensor network in seconds. Founded by a former autonomous systems engineer and electronic warfare specialist alongside a clearance-holding full-stack defense engineer, TrailSense was born from a direct request by U.S. Border Patrol operators in Arizona. The company's vision is to become the foundational ground-truth layer of a nationwide, decentralized real-time sensor network — what they call 'The Golden Dome' — covering every square mile of America.
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Properties larger than a single field of view — 500-acre ranches, fire roads, off-grid solar farms, wildlife corridors — cannot be effectively monitored with camera-based security systems that require line-of-sight, bandwidth, and staffing that simply don't exist in remote environments. Traditional security gear is designed for built environments, not vast outdoor perimeters with hundreds of access points.
TrailSense deploys solar-powered, IP67-rated passive RF sensor units (Meerkat) that detect and fingerprint mobile devices by listening to WiFi probe requests, BLE advertisements, and wideband RF bursts across hundreds of feet. A proprietary detection engine correlates multi-channel evidence and tracks devices across MAC randomization, delivering a live property picture to a companion app with AI-powered situation reports — all with no active transmissions and no cameras.
TrailSense has working prototypes already deployed, a $5K paid pilot for 20 units scheduled for summer, and an anti-poaching deployment in Botswana in May. Active pilots and integrations include Nightingale (software + first units deploying now), EarthDaily Federal (satellite integration, MNDA), and Cochise County Sheriff advancing toward field testing. The company is a Delaware C-Corp with growing team, UK operations, and active connections to SOCOM and the Vulcan ecosystem. Year 1 revenue projections range from $1.2M–$1.59M across hardware sales, paid pilots, and SaaS subscriptions.
Dakota McNeely
founder
Unknown
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