Skip to main content

N5SHIELD QUALIFIES FOR THE NEXT ROUND OF THE XPRIZE WILDFIRE CHALLENGE!

XPRIZE Wildfire is a 4-year, $11 million competition incentivizing the innovation of firefighting technologies that will end destructive wildfires so that humanity and beneficial wildfire can safely co-exist. The prize aims to transform current wildfire management approaches through the development of new technologies that can rapidly and accurately detect, characterize, and respond to wildfires before they become destructive.

Overview

N5SHIELD, led by our team at N5 Sensors Inc., has successfully qualified for the technical round of the XPRIZE Wildfire Challenge. Our Qualifying Technical Submission proposal was evaluated by a panel of external experts and awarded a milestone prize purse of $750,000. We are proud to announce that we have advanced to the next round of the competition, participating in the Space-Based Wildfire Detection Track (A) and the Autonomous Wildfire Response Track (B).

We extend our congratulations to the 28 other teams who have also qualified for the technical round. May the best team win!

Project

N5SHIELD

Platform

Hardware/Mobile/Web

N5 Sensors’ advanced wireless sensor network equips communities, farms, cities, utility companies, and local government and fire departments with early detection and 24/7 alerting system. Our real-time early warning system (less than 5 minutes from ignition) empowers first responders to respond to wildfires faster, and keep their communities safe.

The team behind

N5 was founded in 2012 as a spin-off from the University of Maryland, College Park. We are passionate about developing sensor technologies and products that will make your life better and safer. By bringing together technological innovation and reliable engineering, we are changing how sensing is done. In this new era of wearables, smart-homes, and connected cities, our products will open up new possibilities, giving people the ability to learn about their environment and understand its impact on their health and well-being.

“A team is more than a collection of people. It is a process of give and take.”

Barbara Glacel
Chief Executive Officer

Abhishek Motayed, PhD

I am a scientist turned entrepreneur with nearly 15 years of experience in the field of semi-conductors. Professionally, I get most excited about brining cutting-edge ideas to life through technological development and execution of effective strategies. As CEO of N5, I spend time formulating business strategies alongside our CFO, ensuring exceptional product quality for our customers, and continuing to build our growing partnership/sales pipeline. One of my favorite roles as CEO is to work alongside our N5 team to make sure they have everything they need to execute on our vision – a safer world through mass adoption of our environmental sensors.

Chief Revenue Officer

Debra Deininger

I am a serial entrepreneur with a passion for all things sensing and a goal to make the world a better place through development and deployment of sensors and sensor systems. I joined N5 because I was excited about the company’s technology, capabilities and the vision defined by Abhishek and the team. As CRO at N5, I am working to identify and execute commercial deployments of N5 products. I am excited to help the team build out the roadmap and customer base to execute our shared vision of a safer world through mass adoption of environmental sensors.

Business Development & Program Support

Mary Beth Tabacco

I am a 30-year career professional in in the development of sensors and instrumentation for the detection of chemical, explosive, and biological threat agents to meet military, homeland security, and environmental monitoring needs. Most recently I served as Director of Science & Technology at Smiths Detection, Inc., where I led ”blue-sky” R&D to inform and shape Strategy and Product Management, enabling long-term growth. I have a sound record of securing external and internal funding, and have established program management experience with key Government agencies. Having been a co-founder and VP of a small R&D company I am very enthusiastic about the contributions N5 is making in the area of truly miniature chemical sensors.

Director of Product Engineering

Brian Thomson

I manage N5’s Testing and Product Development and lead the design of gas sensors and integrated systems for our customers. This includes gathering customer requirements, product definition, test apparatus design and analysis. Areas of expertise include sensor characterization, system design, automation, data analytics, and project management. I enjoy running and rock climbing.

Director of Systems Engineering

Vinicius Fonseca

Hi! I’m a Hardware and Firmware engineer at N5 Sensors, aiming to develop the best analog front end, systems, and algorithms to make the most reliable sensors on the market. I have experience and knowledge in IoT, Wireless communication, embedded systems and PCB design. During my free time, I love working on cars and motorcycles.

Head of Operations

Keerthana Senthilkumaran

Hi! I’m a Finance and Human Resource Specialist at N5 Sensors, focusing on developing efficient processes using knowledge of recruiting, employee relations, training and development. My day-to-day includes employee relations, reporting, payroll, benefits, & involvement in all daily financial activities for current and upcoming projects. I love to painting and am a yoga enthusiast.