CTSS Episode 9: Forerunner
Enhanced resilience through improved floodplain data
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Forerunner is a startup making floodplain software for governments. The world’s most frequently occurring natural disaster and increasingly exacerbated by climate change, flooding represents an urgent threat affecting human safety and real estate globally. In the U.S. alone, housing is growing faster in flood zones than outside of them; and the potential damage caused by flooding is measured in the trillions of dollars. With many cities lacking “building attribute data” (e.g. first-floor height), Forerunner is providing more robust and multi-dimensional data to improve cities’ flood modeling and resilience planning. Forerunner makes information from local permits more accessible to governments and leverages the data using machine learning to turn it into a comprehensive dataset. Co-Founders, Susanna Pho and JT White, walk me through a company overview and how they’re helping to address the worsening risk of flooding.
Enjoy the show!
Synopsis
Mission: To build intelligent tools that help communities adapt to the impacts of climate change.
Team:JT White (Co-Founder & CEO); Susanna Pho (Co-Founder & COO)
Product: A “Floodplain Dashboard,” geared toward floodplain management and building departments, that provides a map-based dashboard for managing workflows and understanding risk. In addition, using machine learning and building permits, Forerunner is developing proprietary datasets on first-floor heights.
Traction: Raised a seed round in 2019; conducted an initial pilot in the spring to fine tune the company’s machine learning model; working with a number of at-risk communities (e.g. Harris County, TX; Orleans Parish, LA; Pinellas County, FL; et al.)
Help Sought: Referrals to talented engineers and introductions to people that work in flood management, that might be interested in Forerunner’s software and data services. Feel free to email hello AT withforerunner DOT com with referrals.
Websites: Forerunner; LinkedIn