ThisGen.ai
AI-powered training and performance platform for 911 emergency communications centers.
Website: https://www.thisgen.ai
Cover Block
| Name | ThisGen.ai (ThisGen 911) |
| Tagline | AI-powered training and performance platform for 911 emergency communications centers. |
| Headquarters | Chicago, United States |
| Founded | 2024 |
| Stage | Seed |
| Business Model | SaaS |
| Industry | Defense / Govtech |
| Technology | AI / Machine Learning |
| Geography | North America |
| Growth Profile | Venture Scale |
| Founding Team | Co-Founders (2) |
| Funding Label | Seed |
Links
- Website: https://www.thisgen.ai
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thisgen
Summary and Signal
ThisGen.ai is building an AI-powered training platform for 911 dispatchers, a niche but critical application where software can directly address a national shortage of qualified personnel and potentially improve emergency response outcomes. The company, founded in 2024, uses AI-generated voice simulations to create on-demand, realistic call scenarios for trainees, a method that claims to reduce training time by 40% according to the company's own resources [ThisGen.ai resources]. Its early traction is notable, with deployments confirmed in multiple Wisconsin counties and the Orange County Fire Authority [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jan 2026], [San Gabriel Valley Tribune, 2026].
The founding team, Zak Randall and Aaron Diestelkamp, bring prior experience from healthcare network AVIA, with Diestelkamp adding technical depth from Accenture and Argonne National Laboratory [RocketReach, retrieved 2026]. The business model is SaaS, targeting government budgets for public safety training. Over the next 12-18 months, the key watchpoints will be the expansion of its customer base beyond initial pilot counties, the development of its technology stack relative to its dependency on ElevenLabs for core voice AI, and its ability to convert consideration into contracts, as seen with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department [The News Herald, 2026].
Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Core product and customer deployments are confirmed by multiple local news reports and partner blogs. Founders' backgrounds are corroborated. The key traction metric (40% training reduction) is a company claim without independent verification, and funding details are not publicly available.
Taxonomy Snapshot
| Axis | Value |
|---|---|
| Stage | Seed |
| Business Model | SaaS |
| Industry / Vertical | Defense / Govtech |
| Technology Type | AI / Machine Learning |
| Geography | North America |
| Growth Profile | Venture Scale |
| Founding Team | Co-Founders (2) |
| Funding | Seed |
Company Overview
ThisGen.ai, operating as ThisGen 911, is a Chicago-based software company founded in 2024. The company is legally incorporated as ThisGen, Inc., as noted in its terms of service [ThisGen.ai]. Its formation coincides with a period of increased public and governmental focus on modernizing emergency response infrastructure, positioning it to address a specific, high-stakes training bottleneck within 911 communications centers.
The company's public milestones are tied to customer deployments. Its first publicly confirmed implementation began in 2025 with the Orange County Fire Authority [The News Herald, 2026], [San Gabriel Valley Tribune, 2026]. This was followed by a series of county-level adoptions in Wisconsin throughout 2026, including in Outagamie County, Dane County, and the city of Milwaukee [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2026], [Yahoo News, 2026]. A partnership with voice-AI vendor ElevenLabs, announced in April 2025, provides the technological foundation for its core simulation product [ElevenLabs blog, April 2025].
Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Company details and customer deployments are confirmed by multiple local news reports and a vendor blog. The founding year and entity are from the company's own documents.
The Product and the Stack
The core of ThisGen.ai's offering is a simulation platform that uses generative voice AI to create on-demand training scenarios for emergency dispatchers. The product is designed to replace or augment traditional, resource-intensive training methods with a scalable, automated system [LinkedIn, 2024]. Its primary surface is a library of "ultra-realistic" call scenarios covering medical, police, and fire emergencies, which trainees can practice repeatedly with instant, automated quality assurance feedback tied to agency protocols [LinkedIn, 2024].
Beyond the trainee interface, the platform includes a supervisor dashboard for managing users, assigning specific repetitions, and tracking progress over time. Analytics tools are intended to highlight individual and team-wide performance gaps and compliance adherence [LinkedIn, 2024]. The company's broader positioning suggests the system also plays a role in hiring assessments and live performance support [ThisGen.ai careers].
Technologically, the product's most distinctive component is its reliance on third-party AI-generated voices. ElevenLabs, a text-to-speech vendor, has publicly identified ThisGen.ai as a customer using its technology to create the realistic call simulations [ElevenLabs blog, April 2025]. The company claims this approach reduces dispatcher training time by 40%, though this metric is sourced solely from the company's own resources page and lacks independent verification [ThisGen.ai resources].
Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Product features are consistently described across the company's LinkedIn page and partner blog. The 40% training reduction claim is a company-only metric.
The Market They Are Entering
The market for public safety technology is being reshaped by a convergence of workforce shortages, heightened performance demands, and the maturation of AI tools capable of simulating high-stakes human interaction. ThisGen.ai operates within the niche of 911 dispatcher training, a segment that sits at the intersection of the broader government technology (GovTech) and corporate learning & development (L&D) markets.
There are an estimated 5,800 primary and secondary Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) across the United States [National Emergency Number Association]. Each center requires continuous training for dispatchers, a workforce that experiences high turnover and burnout. Demand is driven by acute, publicly documented pressures. A national shortage of 911 dispatchers has created a critical need to accelerate training timelines without compromising quality [APCO International, 2025]. ThisGen.ai's cited deployment in Wisconsin was reportedly supported by state grant funding aimed at modernizing PSAP capabilities [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jan 2026].
| Market Segment | Analogous Size / Indicator | Source |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) | ~5,800 facilities | [National Emergency Number Association] |
| Global Corporate Digital Learning Platforms | >$20B (2024) | [HolonIQ, 2024] |
| Core Demand Driver | National dispatcher shortage & burnout | [APCO International, 2025] |
Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Market sizing relies on analogous reports and industry association data; direct TAM for the niche is not publicly quantified.
The Competitive Field
ThisGen.ai enters a public safety training market where the primary alternatives are legacy, manual processes and a small set of specialized software vendors.
| Company | Positioning | Stage / Funding | Notable Differentiator | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ThisGen.ai | AI-powered training & performance platform for 911 dispatchers. | Seed stage. | AI-generated voice simulations for on-demand, scenario-based training with automated feedback. | [LinkedIn company page, 2024] |
| Prepared | End-to-end emergency response platform with assistive AI for 911 call-taking and dispatch. | Later stage (Series B+). | Integrated, real-time assistive AI for live 911 calls, not just training. | [YouTube, Prepared] |
This competitive map can be segmented into three categories: direct software competitors, traditional training vendors, and the status quo of in-house training academies. ThisGen's current defensible edge rests on its specific product focus and early public sector adoption. The platform's integration of ElevenLabs' voice technology allows for the rapid generation of unlimited, realistic scenarios. The company's documented deployments with municipal and county agencies in Wisconsin and California provide a beachhead of referenceable customers.
Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Competitor Prepared is confirmed; broader competitive mapping is inferred from market structure and limited public vendor lists.
Opportunity
The opportunity for ThisGen.ai is to become the de facto training and performance management standard for the nation's 911 emergency communications workforce. The company's early deployments in multiple counties demonstrate a wedge into a market historically underserved by modern software [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jan 2026], [Yahoo News, Jan 2026]. The core premise is that once a county integrates a platform for training, the natural expansion is into hiring assessments, live-call performance support, and compliance analytics.
| Scenario | What happens | Catalyst | Why it's plausible |
|---|---|---|---|
| State-Wide Mandate | A state public safety office or association adopts ThisGen.ai as a recommended or funded standard for all county ECCs. | A successful, high-profile deployment in a major metropolitan area (e.g., Milwaukee) leads to a formal partnership or grant program. | Public safety technology often standardizes at the state level. The company's traction in Wisconsin creates a proof-of-concept cluster [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jan 2026]. |
| Academy Partnership | The platform becomes the primary curriculum delivery tool for state-certified 911 training academies and community college programs. | A partnership with a major training academy or accreditation body, embedding the software into certification requirements. | The company already markets a dedicated version of its platform to "schools and academies" [ThisGen.ai resources]. |
Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Customer deployments are confirmed by multiple local news reports. The growth scenarios and market size are extrapolated from these confirmed deployments and the structure of the public safety market.
Sources
- [ThisGen.ai resources] ThisGen.ai resources | https://www.thisgen.ai/resources
- [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jan 2026] AI software now helping to train 911 dispatchers in Milwaukee | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/2026/01/14/ai-software-now-helping-to-train-911-dispatchers-in-milwaukee/88178318007/
- [San Gabriel Valley Tribune, 2026] San Gabriel Valley Tribune coverage | https://www.sgvtribune.com/
- [RocketReach, retrieved 2026] Zak Randall Email & Phone Number | ThisGen 911 Co-Founder and CEO Contact Information | https://rocketreach.co/zak-randall-email_242307021
- [ThisGen.ai] ThisGen.ai website | https://www.thisgen.ai
- [LinkedIn, 2024] ThisGen 911 LinkedIn Company Page | https://www.linkedin.com/company/thisgen
- [ThisGen.ai careers] ThisGen.ai careers page | https://www.thisgen.ai/careers
- [ElevenLabs blog, April 2025] AI voices helping train 911 dispatchers | https://elevenlabs.io/blog/ai-voices-helping-train-911-dispatchers
- [The News Herald, 2026] The News Herald coverage | https://www.thenewsherald.com/
- [Yahoo News, Jan 2026] An AI software and voice is now helping train Milwaukee 911 dispatchers | https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/ai-software-voice-now-helping-210859682.html
- [National Emergency Number Association] National Emergency Number Association | https://www.nena.org/
- [HolonIQ, 2024] HolonIQ market report | https://www.holoniq.com/
- [APCO International, 2025] APCO International | https://www.apcointl.org/
- [YouTube, Prepared] Prepared video: AI for the next generation of 911 | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVHJx1HFKgM
Articles about ThisGen.ai
- ThisGen.ai's AI Voice Simulations Are Now Training 911 Dispatchers in Milwaukee — The Chicago startup's platform, which uses ElevenLabs technology, has landed county contracts in Wisconsin and California to cut training time for emergency call takers.