Verizon Giving $6 Million to a Dozen Startups Using Mobile Technology to Save Lives

A drone that acts as a lifeguard, a Wi-Fi network that can be airdropped into a disaster and ten other potentially life-saving startup ideas are set to share in $6 million in prizes thanks to a contest from Verizon. The startups are all winners in the company’s Powerful Answers contest, with the specific prizes to be announced at a Dec. 9 event in San Francisco (CA).

Another winner in the emergency response category is a softball-size unit from Boston (MA)-based Bounce Imaging that can map out unseen spaces and send back data to a smartphone so first responders can enter hazardous settings with a preview of what to expect. Meanwhile, EmergenSee turns smartphones into portable security systems that can stream live audio, video and location information to friends or first responders in an emergency. It’s the third year of the contest, and this year Verizon said it got 1,400 entires with nearly a quarter coming from female-led startups. Three of the 12 finalists are women-led ventures.