Our Investment in Safe Software – and in Strengthening Critical Infrastructure

By Brian Hersman, Preston Horner, and Jeremy Curley

Safe Software’s data integration platform (“FME”) enables people and enterprises to unlock the value hidden in their data, especially spatial data where value can be elusive. With a no-code, natural language interface, the platform allows users to extract, transform, and manipulate what was once thought to be incompatible data and exchange it across different systems and organizations so that it can be usable across some of the most important physical world applications.

From its home-grown beginning in 1993 and constant focus on innovation, co-founders Don Murray and Dale Lutz built Safe Software into a leading data integration company with unrivaled support for spatial data. Today it is used by over 25,000 organizations in more than 120 countries around the world. Safe Software is a Customers’ Choice in the 2024 Gartner Peer Insights™ ‘Voice of the Customer’: Data Integration Tools and is recognized as a Customers’ Choice among North America and Midsize Enterprise customers.

JMI Equity’s relationship with Safe spans a decade. We first met Don and Dale at a conference in 2014 and kept in touch through calls and meetings over the years. The longevity and partnership mindset on both sides made for a natural match. In 2024, Don and Dale decided JMI was the right growth partner for the next phase of the business, culminating in a strategic investment announced in January 2024.

The power of Where: For critical infrastructure, first responders, and others

In a recent interview, Safe Co-founder and CEO Don Murray talked about the value of knowing where things are – whether it is citizens in distress, oil in the ground, electrical outages, or customers of a restaurant. “The world we live in is spatial,” he said, “And, spatial data is increasingly important to the enterprise because it enables you to see relationships.” Don also discussed the way AI is reshaping strategies, driving efficiencies, and requiring new approaches in data integration to meet customers’ advanced needs.

Safe’s spatial advantage has created thousands of success stories. These are just a few:

• Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport uses Safe to improve operational efficiency and customer satisfaction and create a digital twin of the airport (with Safe Software partner Vicrea).
• The Child Abduction Response Team in the city of Oshkosh, Wisconsin is able to deploy targeted search and rescue resources faster using Safe – maps are continually updated with last-seen information reported by the public.
• Georgia Power streamlines meter replacement using FME to track meter data, detect financial discrepancies, and create reports to detect database anomalies.

Through Safe’s international partner network of solution providers, system integrators, VARs and technology alliances, their platform is used around the world and has been localized in multiple languages. Current partners include: AWS (Amazon Web Services), Google, Autodesk, Esri, Databricks, Snowflake, Trimble and many more.

Safe is solving an incredibly hard data problem that all utilities, governments, emergency services, architecture, engineering, construction, energy, and transportation and several other critical industries face daily while running their organizations. The problem is also only becoming more challenging with the proliferation of data; Safe has built the industry standard solution for managing it, becoming irreplaceable in its customers’ workflows.

Partners in growth and impact

We value how much Safe has invested in continually innovating and improving their product, most recently enhancing its capabilities with AI. And, they have a community of users that adores them.

With our capital investment and management expertise, we believe JMI can enhance Safe’s go-to-market strategy for both direct sales and partnership sales – helping get their great product into the hands of non-users and expanding the use case of current customers in its core markets of utilities, governments, emergency services, architecture, engineering and construction, energy, and transportation. Safe also sees opportunities in new industries such as healthcare, insurance, and retail.

Safe CEO Don Murray praised the collaboration, “Our investment partners at JMI love what we have created and will help us launch an exciting new chapter for Safe and our customers.”

Headquartered in Surrey, British Columbia, Safe Software has been bootstrapped since its founding in 1993. The business has grown capital efficiently and is well-positioned to continue to expand its business and impact worldwide. Safe exemplifies JMI’s focus on partnering with exceptional founders, entrepreneurs, and management teams at high-growth software companies.

If you’re interested in learning more about Safe Software or our partnership, please read the press release or give us a call. We look forward to sharing ideas.

Disclaimer: JMI believes this information to be accurate and current as of the date of publication but cannot guarantee its accuracy.

The JMI portfolio company(ies) identified above are not necessarily representative of all JMI investments, and no assumption should be made that the investments identified were or will be profitable. For a complete list of JM investments, please visit https://www.jmi.com/companies/.