Airwave
Smart safety glasses and push-to-talk software for frontline workers to reduce downtime and improve efficiency.
Website: https://www.airwave.us/
Cover Block
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Airwave |
| Tagline | Smart safety glasses and push-to-talk software for frontline workers to reduce downtime and improve efficiency. |
| Headquarters | Indianapolis, United States |
| Founded | 2022 |
| Stage | Seed |
| Business Model | SaaS |
| Industry | Logistics / Supply Chain |
| Geography | North America |
| Growth Profile | Venture Scale |
| Founding Team | Solo Founder |
| Funding Label | Seed (total disclosed ~$4,000,000) |
Links
- Website: https://www.airwave.us/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/airwave-app
Summary and Signal
Airwave is a seed-stage startup building a push-to-talk communication platform and AI-powered smart safety glasses for frontline industrial workers. The company's thesis is that reducing machine downtime and improving technician efficiency requires a voice-first, hands-free interface that integrates directly with operational knowledge bases [airwave.us]. Founded in 2022 by Pankaj Prasad, Airwave has raised approximately $4 million in total funding from a group of early-stage investors including Cortical Ventures and High Alpha [PitchBook]. The product differentiates by layering AI-driven access to service manuals and part lists onto a push-to-talk app, with the hardware component aiming to automate inspection reports and enable remote video guidance [airwave.us].
Prasad's background includes co-founding DoubleDutch, where he served as Global Head of Sales, and a subsequent product management role at Salesforce [TechCrunch, 2016] [Crunchbase, 2026]. The business model is SaaS, targeting enterprise buyers in logistics, manufacturing, and field service.
Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Core product and founder details are confirmed via company site and business databases, but funding round specifics and customer traction are not publicly detailed.
Taxonomy Snapshot
| Axis | Classification |
|---|---|
| Stage | Seed |
| Business Model | SaaS |
| Industry / Vertical | Logistics / Supply Chain |
| Geography | North America |
| Growth Profile | Venture Scale |
| Founding Team | Solo Founder |
| Funding | Seed (total disclosed ~$4,000,000) |
Company Overview
Airwave was founded in 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana [PitchBook]. The company's premise is to replace typed communication and fragmented manuals with a voice-driven push-to-talk application and AI-powered smart safety glasses [airwave.us]. Founder and CEO Pankaj Prasad, a former co-founder and Global Head of Sales at DoubleDutch, leads the company [Startup-Seeker] [TechCrunch, 2016].
In April 2025, Airwave raised an undisclosed amount in a seed round, bringing its total disclosed funding to approximately $4 million [PitchBook] [climateinsiders.substack.com, 2025]. Investors include Cortical Ventures, Flybridge Capital Partners, High Alpha, Operator Stack, and Page One Ventures [PitchBook].
Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Company founding and funding total corroborated by PitchBook; seed round details from a single trade publication.
The Product and the Stack
Airwave's product suite is a dual-pronged approach to frontline communication and task execution. The core offering is a push-to-talk mobile application providing single-touch access to voice and video calls, messaging, and file sharing, integrated with service manuals and part lists via an AI layer [airwave.us].
The hardware component consists of smart safety glasses designed to record job activities and automatically generate reports, recaps, and AI-generated answers [airwave.us]. The company also claims to offer custom vision models tailored to specific equipment, workflows, and standards [airwave.us]. The platform is accessible without requiring the hardware, suggesting a SaaS model where the glasses are an optional peripheral [airwave.us].
Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Product claims are sourced from the company's own website and a partner blog; independent technical reviews or customer validations of the hardware and AI features are not yet available.
The Market They Are Entering
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Industrial Smart Glasses (2023) | $2.1B |
| Push-to-Talk over Cellular (2028) | $5.5B |
Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Market sizing is drawn from analogous, third-party industry reports; specific TAM/SAM/SOM for Airwave's exact product category is not publicly quantified.
The Competitive Field
| Company | Positioning | Stage / Funding | Notable Differentiator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airwave | AI-powered push-to-talk app & smart safety glasses. | Seed, ~$4M raised | Combines hands-free communication with automated report generation. |
| Weavix | Voice-first communication platform with smart badges. | Venture-backed, $20M+ raised | Focus on ruggedized, intrinsically safe wearable hardware. |
| Relay | Push-to-talk cellular network and devices. | Growth stage, $50M+ raised | Nationwide cellular network with simple, dedicated devices. |
| Theatro | Wearable, voice-controlled communications computer. | Venture-backed, acquired by Zebra | Deep integration with warehouse management systems. |
Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Competitor profiles and funding stages are drawn from public company sources and Crunchbase; Airwave's differentiation is based on its own marketing claims.
Opportunity
If Airwave can become the standard communication layer for the industrial frontline, it stands to capture a significant share of the operational technology budget. The company's bet is that the combination of hands-free hardware and AI-integrated software creates a defensible wedge [airwave.us].
Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- The opportunity analysis is based on the company's stated product capabilities and founder background.
Articles about Airwave
- Airwave Trades the Walkie-Talkie for a Pair of Smart Glasses — The startup's $4 million bet is that frontline workers will talk to manuals, not read them, to cut machine downtime.