How a family trip to Greece inspired the next generation of firefighting technology
How a family trip to Greece inspired the next generation of firefighting technology
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/v5d783pzp
Publish Date: 2026-06-07 03:08:00
Source Domain: www.calcalistech.com
“Most current systems, such as cameras and satellites, usually identify fires only after visible smoke or flames appear — which can already be too late, especially in dense forests, mountainous terrain, or at night,” explains Dr. Jenia Yurkovsky, Co-Founder and CEO of Firewave.
Dr. Yurkovsky founded the company in 2024 alongside co-founder and CTO Eduard (Edi) Grinberg. The idea came about after a family trip to Greece in 2021 shortly before the devastating Evia wildfire broke out. Today, the startup has raised $500,000 in Pre-Seed funding and has an active MVP product that is being used for pilots and first commercial installations in Israel and the United States.
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Dr. Jenia Yurkovsky and Eduard Grinberg Firewave, co-founders, Firewave.
(Photo: Firewave)
“Our system identifies the unique sound signature of combustion and can detect small fires within minutes, often before they generate enough smoke to be reliably seen by cameras or satellites,” adds Dr. Yurkovsky.
You can learn more about the company below.
Sector: FireTech, Climate
Product/Service description:
Firewave develops AI-powered acoustic sensors for ultra-early wildfire detection. Our system identifies the unique sound signature of combustion and can detect small fires within minutes, often before they generate enough smoke to be reliably seen by cameras or satellites. Because sound does not require line of sight, Firewave can operate effectively in dense vegetation, complex terrain, and low-visibility conditions.
The system consists of autonomous solar-powered field sensors, cloud-based AI analysis, and a real-time alerting platform. When a potential ignition is detected, alerts are sent immediately to enable rapid verification and response while the fire is still small and easier to suppress.
We are initially focused on protecting wildfire-prone communities, camps, wineries, resorts, utilities, and other businesses located near vegetation, where fires often start close to people and…
