Firebot is one of the many gifts of Loudoun this holiday season. This is one story in a series of 31 that highlight #LoudounPossible opportunities in the county. Check back every day in December to learn more!

Finding the Patience to Solve Problems, with Firebot, A 2022 Loudoun Innovation Challenge Winner

Every 93 seconds, a home fire is reported to local fire departments across the country. On average, a home fire injury occurs every 47 minutes, and a home fire death happens eight times per day.

Since 1980, the total number of fires in the U.S. has dropped by nearly 55%, and fire-related deaths have also fallen 42%. These numbers can be largely attributed to fire prevention methods, as well as improved technology and methods by firefighters.

But what if we could cut those numbers in half again? That would take a paradigm shift in how we think about residential fires, and how we snuff them out at the source.

Enter Firebot, a Northern Virginia-based company and the winner of the Highly Specialized Manufacturing category for the 2022 Loudoun Innovation Challenge.

Owner and founder Mark Baldino spent his career in the locksmith and security business before inventing Firebot, the world’s first smart cooktop fire suppression system. The sleek, low-profile system mounts above kitchen stoves, and its smart sensors constantly monitor for the type of flare ups that cause half of all residential fires.

Unlike a traditional fire alarm, it does more than identify when a fire begins.

Unlike a fire extinguisher, its smart thermal sensors respond automatically, spraying a liquid, biodegradable, nontoxic fire suppressant. This prevents both the damage from the fire and the water of traditional sprinklers.

“We know we can stop half the fires in residences on Earth,” Baldino said. “They all start on stovetops, and that is what we specialize in.”

The Firebot is even effective on grease fires, which are responsible for more than half of all home cooking fires.

The innovation was born in his other business, Baldino’s Lock & Key, and he credits the Alarm Division for imagining the paradigm shift.

“The idea started by thinking about smoke detectors as a great product to warn and alert of a fire. But what if they could also extinguish a fire?” he explained. “Well, now it can – it’s called the FireBot.”

The product is designed, assembled and quality tested in the USA, and can be purchased by homeowners or management companies. Firebot has affiliations with the National Apartment Association, Property Management Association, and the National Fire Prevention Association.

Locating Firebot in Loudoun

Baldino was born and raised in Northern Virginia, and has located Baldino’s Lock & Key in Leesburg for more than 20 years.

“Loudoun County is an amazing area developing fast into one of the premier spots in the U.S.,” he said. “Loudoun has all the resources to establish a business: land, buildings, educated workers, and close to travel hubs.”

The county is also home to a flourishing highly specialized manufacturing ecosystem, benefitting product startups like Firebot, where scalable manufacturing allows for faster iterations and innovation.

“We would love to ultimately establish our production facility in Loudoun,” Baldino said, quipping: “Maybe not as large as a data center, but large enough to produce 50,000 units per month.”

In winning the Loudoun Innovation Challenge, Firebot received a $25,000 prize that will be reinvested into product development, reducing the overall profile of the product.

“We will use the money to develop our smaller casing – a 40% smaller housing unit is everything for the next chapter of Firebot,” he explained. “That investment will go toward CAD drawings, 3D printing, and ultimately injection molds.”

Baldino finds great motivation in making life better for his clients, team members, and community.

“Any day you get out of bed in the morning it’s a good day,” he said with a smile. “I think the first thing is to help family, people at work, to make their life better.

“Then, if I can get an invention like FireBot to help everybody prevent half the home fires on Earth, that’s motivation to get up and get busy.”

The Loudoun Innovation Challenge Experience

Despite being a long-time, successful business owner, Baldino embraces the opportunity for continued education. He first heard about the Loudoun Innovation Challenge from his George Mason University business professor.

“Professor TJ Master encouraged me to apply, saying: ‘You’re good enough to have more than a chance of winning,’” Baldino recalled. “The application process was very straightforward, but also very thorough. You have to have all facets of your idea, process, feasibility, what’s needed to get your idea to market, and why people would want it.”

For most people, housing is the most expensive decision they make, and one that is closely aligned with their identity and quality of life.

Losing housing, loved ones and personal objects to residential fires is a traumatic – and increasingly preventable phenomenon.

“We are currently adding to the depth of our fire suppression products, including wireless communication, water leak detection and dryer lint trap blockage detectors,” he said. “We’re also working on the world’s first electronic fire extinguisher.”

For entrepreneurs building products that change the world, Baldino recommends the Loudoun Innovation Challenge, even if they just come to watch and absorb from their peers.

“Go to pitches and events like the Loudoun Innovation Challenge. You can learn so much about all aspects of developing a business,” he said. “Have patience; everything will take three times longer than you think – and that’s OK.”

To learn more about Firebot, and to secure your kitchen against preventable fires, check out their website today.

Thinking of starting or relocating your business in Loudoun County? We are a full-service economic development organization, dedicated to your #LoudounPossible business success. Working with us is like adding a team of no-cost specialists to your team, with expertise in the following areas:

• Site selection and real estate searches;
• Workforce development and pipeline support;
• Process and permit navigation;
• Fast-track and financial incentives;
• Marketing and communications outreach;
• Networking, resource and industry introductions.

Contact Dave Diaz today to launch your #LoudounPossible journey.