FlamAid raises €1 million second round backed by Ilia Topuria and José Avillez

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FlamAid, a Spanish start-up founded in 2022 by Julieta Rueff, has closed a second funding round of €1 million, twice the €500,000 it raised the first time. The backers include UFC lightweight world champion Ilia Topuria, who first invested in March, and Portuguese chef José Avillez, along with investors returning from the earlier round. A fighter and a chef are an unusual pairing on a cap table, though both have presumably thought about personal safety more than most.

The company makes what it calls a "peaceful grenade", a personal safety device that went on sale in 2024. It hangs from a bag, and pulling its ring sets off a 110-decibel alarm while an app sends the user's live location to three chosen emergency contacts; it also records video and audio as evidence. It costs €59.99, charges over USB-C and lasts 12 days per charge. It has passed 1,000 users. Rueff expected young women to be the main buyers; instead they are mostly parents, and 60% of purchasers are men. The company also gives the device free to survivors of gender violence.

The money will go to expansion, operations and further development, including a subscription that links devices to an alarm centre able to call the police. Rueff runs the company with co-founders Mireia Mas, Lluís Castella Delgado and Dídac Cirilo. The seven-person team is focused on Spain and Europe, with plans for Chile and Costa Rica.