Surge turns city infrastructure into a mobility data network, one streetlight at a time
The future of AI will be defined by real-world, real-time data. Surge is building the infrastructure to deliver it.
We interviewed Miguel Jaramillo, co-founder and CEO, as the company takes part in The Company Lab’s (CO.LAB) mobility accelerator in Chattanooga.
Surge is based in the Kansas City area and is only two years old, but the company has already gained early traction. Jaramillo knew the team needed outside resources and fresh perspectives, and CO.LAB stood out as a resource to help navigate this momentum.
Their first deployment is up in New Orleans’ Jackson Square, and they have the rights to completely envelope the French Quarter with their technology. Surge is also set to have their second market launch in a very active metro while participating in the cohort.
“The accelerator was one of a very short list around the country that we thought really aligned with what we’re building. We’ve been in Chattanooga for only three weeks and could even see it becoming a second home,” he said.
Hosting the hardware
Surge transforms urban infrastructure into sensor and edge computing nodes using city poles, rooftops and signage thanks to partnerships with utilities, telecom developers and real estate owners.
In each market, Surge sets up a region-specific operating company to own the local node network, with 100% of revenue and profit flowing through that local LLC so that everyday citizens and organizations can benefit.
“Everyday folks that generate the data should also own it. They are the beneficiaries of revenue and growth. As Surge grows, so do their returns,” Jaramillo explained.
Buying the data
Through the nodes, Surge captures live, anonymized data that is strategic for advertisers and digital signage owners, municipalities, mobility companies and more. Jaramillo pointed to digital billboards as an example: nodes measure real traffic without cameras or images, replacing industry guesswork with verified numbers.
“The nodes measure anonymous movement patterns like dwell time. What we can tell both the digital signage owner and the advertiser that’s buying space is you have this amount of people here for this amount of time, and they were facing this direction. It helps make sure the advertiser is getting their money’s worth,” he said.
But beyond advertising, it’s a gateway to helping cities become safer, more resilient and better prepared for the future of real-time systems.
Surge is closing a pre-revenue round at the end of September that is already about 90% to goal, and plans to launch a new seed round before year’s end.
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