# City Detect

> City Detect is a Tuscaloosa, Alabama startup that bolts cameras onto the city vehicles already driving every street - garbage trucks, street sweepers - and runs the footage through its PASS AI computer-vision platform to flag boarded windows, collapsing roofs, illegal dumping and potholes. It turns a slow, expensive manual chore known as the windshield survey into a daily, city-wide data feed, and sells it to local governments as a subscription. Founded in 2021 out of a University of Alabama research project, it raised a $13M Series A in March 2026 and works with cities including Dallas, Cleveland, Stockton and Miami-Dade County.

- **Founded:** 2021
- **Headquarters:** Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States
- **Founders:** Gavin Baum-Blake (CEO & Co-Founder), Dr. Erik Johnson (Co-Founder (University of Alabama economics professor))
- **Team size:** ~28 employees (fully remote across the U.S.; roughly one-third are University of Alabama graduates)
- **Products:** PASS AI, Blight Detection & Code Enforcement, Storm & Damage Assessment, Public Works & Infrastructure Monitoring
- **Notable:** Raised $13M Series A in March 2026, bringing total funding to $15M, Grew 4x in 2025, Deployed in 17+ U.S. cities including Dallas and Miami-Dade County

## Products & services

- **PASS AI** — The company's proprietary computer-vision platform that processes imagery captured from vehicle-mounted cameras to identify and map more than 100 signs of urban blight - boarded windows, damaged roofs, overgrown lots, illegal dumping, graffiti, missing street signs and potholes - while automatically blurring faces and license plates.
- **Blight Detection & Code Enforcement** — Actionable maps, lists and reports that let code enforcement teams prioritize the worst properties, auto-generate educational notices, and track voluntary compliance across a city.
- **Storm & Damage Assessment** — Post-storm triage that scans affected roadways and structures for high-severity damage indicators to speed up disaster response and recovery paperwork.
- **Public Works & Infrastructure Monitoring** — Newer solutions expanding beyond blight into infrastructure asset detection and public works - potholes, signage and roadway condition - integrated with municipal software platforms.

## Achievements

- Raised $13M Series A in March 2026, bringing total funding to $15M
- Grew 4x in 2025
- Deployed in 17+ U.S. cities including Dallas and Miami-Dade County
- SOC 2 Type II compliant with a published responsible-AI policy
- Member of the GovAI Coalition
- In Stockton, flagged 4,000+ code violations across 2,500 properties in one week with 80% voluntary compliance via the RISE program
- Cleveland benchmark: replaced a $170,000, 40-officer, six-month property survey with one equipped vehicle in weeks
- Origins in a University of Alabama / City of Tuscaloosa joint blight-detection patent

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — Closed a $13M Series A led by Prudence with Zeal Capital, Knoll Ventures and Las Olas Venture Capital; total funding reaches $15M.
- **2026-03** — Announced plans to expand into public works departments, deepen integrations with municipal software, and grow post-storm damage assessment nationwide.
- **2025** — Grew 4x and expanded to 17+ cities including Dallas and Miami-Dade County.

## Links

- Website: https://citydetect.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/citydetect
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/City-Detect-61566159761364/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/city-detect
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-21