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§ Private Profile · San Francisco, CA, USA
Social news app
Wildfire has raised $14.0M across 2 funding rounds.
Key people at Wildfire.
Wildfire was founded in 2015 by Vinay A. Ramesh (Founder) and Hriday Kemburu (Founder/CEO) and Jay Patel (Founder & CTO).
Wildfire has raised $14.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
We started Wildfire during our senior year at UC Berkeley as a safety alert app for colleges. Wildfire quickly grew beyond a campus safety tool to a social news app, which empowered people to spread the word quickly to their community when something significant happened nearby. Over six years, we've sent 65 million alerts to nearly 1 million users.
Wildfire is a social news app originally founded in 2015 by Vinay A. Ramesh, Hriday Kemburu, and Jay Patel during their senior year at UC Berkeley. It began as a campus safety alert tool but evolved into a broader social news platform that empowers users to quickly share significant local events with their communities. Over six years, Wildfire sent 65 million alerts to nearly 1 million users, primarily serving college campuses and local communities with timely, crowd-sourced information[2][3][4].
The app addresses the problem of slow or ineffective communication during urgent or important local events, such as emergencies or breaking news. By enabling rapid, user-driven alerts, Wildfire enhances community awareness and safety. Its growth was largely organic, fueled by word of mouth and real-world validation during critical incidents, such as a 2016 shooting near Berkeley campus where Wildfire alerted thousands within minutes, far faster than traditional media or official channels[4].
Wildfire was founded in 2015 by three UC Berkeley students—Vinay A. Ramesh, Hriday Kemburu (CEO), and Jay Patel (CTO)—who initially created the app as a safety alert system for college campuses. The idea emerged from their own experiences and the need for faster, more effective communication during campus emergencies. Early traction came from real incidents where the app proved its value, notably the rapid alert during the 2016 Berkeley shooting, which helped the app grow to 10,000 users in a single weekend purely through word of mouth[2][4].
The founders chose to forgo traditional job offers after graduation to continue developing Wildfire, believing strongly in the mission to improve community safety and information flow. Over time, the app expanded beyond safety alerts to become a social news platform for local communities.
Wildfire rides the trend of hyperlocal, real-time information sharing empowered by mobile and social technologies. The timing was crucial as traditional news and official channels often lag in delivering urgent local updates. The rise of smartphones and social media created a fertile environment for apps like Wildfire to fill this gap, enhancing community resilience and awareness.
By focusing on localized social news, Wildfire contributes to the broader ecosystem of citizen journalism and peer-to-peer information exchange. It exemplifies how technology can democratize news dissemination and improve public safety through community engagement.
Having been acquired by Opendoor in 2021, Wildfire’s standalone app is being sunsetted as the team focuses on new ventures within Opendoor’s ecosystem[3][4]. The founders’ journey highlights the growing importance of real-time, community-driven information platforms in the digital age. Future trends shaping this space include increased demand for trustworthy, hyperlocal news sources and integration of social news with other community services.
Wildfire’s legacy lies in demonstrating the power of grassroots, rapid communication in enhancing safety and social awareness, a model likely to influence future innovations in social news and emergency alert technologies.
Key people at Wildfire.
Wildfire has raised $14.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $10.0M Series B in March 2012.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 21, 2012 | $10M Series B | — | 500 Startups, Summit Partners | Announced |
| Apr 1, 2010 | $4M Series A | Summit Partners | 10100, Andreessen Horowitz, Autotech Ventures, Aux21 Capital, Bedrock Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Bling Capital, Canvas Ventures, CapitalG, Chemistry VC, Climacticvc, DIG Ventures, Felicis Ventures, Flex Capital, Floodgate, Fontinalis Partners, Freestyle Capital, Gaingels, Gradient Ventures, Industry Ventures, K9 Ventures, Khosla Ventures, KOMPAS VC, M13, Mayfield, Practical Venture Capital, Quest Venture Partners, Radical Ventures, Tribe Capital, Trinity Ventures, Vayner RSE, Gary Kremen, Mark Gillespie, Nico Rosberg, Rashaun Williams, Sean Bill, Vikas Sabnani, Aydin Senkut, Gary Vaynerchuk, Jeff Clavier | Announced |
Wildfire was founded in 2015 by Vinay A. Ramesh (Founder) and Hriday Kemburu (Founder/CEO) and Jay Patel (Founder & CTO).
Wildfire has raised $14.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Wildfire's investors include 500 Startups, Summit Partners, 10100, Andreessen Horowitz, Autotech Ventures, Aux21 Capital, Bedrock Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Bling Capital, Canvas Ventures, CapitalG, Chemistry VC.
