A founder from California, Sunny Sethi, launched HEN Technologies (High-Efficiency Nozzles) in Hayward in 2020 with NSF funding to redesign firefighting tools, delivering nozzles that boost suppression rates by up to 300% while conserving about two-thirds of water.

Sethi holds a PhD from the University of Akron and has held roles at ADAP Nanotech, SunPower, and TE Connectivity, with a formative experience witnessing major East Bay wildfires in 2019 that inspired the venture.

His background spans nanotechnology, solar, semiconductors, and automotive, and the venture followed a personal incident during California fires that underscored the firefighting challenges he aimed to solve.

HEN's data and hardware ambitions aim to extend beyond firefighting, positioning the company to contribute to AI and physics-based world models and predictive engines used in robotics and emergency-response optimization.

HEN has seen rapid revenue growth: product launch in 2023 with 10 fire departments and about $200,000 in revenue, climbing to roughly $1.6 million in 2024, and a continued trajectory toward around $20 million this year with about 1,500 fire department customers.

The product line has expanded from high-efficiency nozzles to monitors, valves, overhead sprinklers, and advanced flow-control systems, with an upcoming Stream IQ to improve flow-control efficiency and embedded sensors and computing power in each device.

HEN has GSA approval and partnerships with the Marine Corps, U.S. Army bases, NASA, and other agencies, targeting military, government, and civilian fire departments.

The team comprises roughly 50 people, including Adobe experts, a former NASA engineer, and veterans from Tesla, Apple, and Microsoft, underscoring a cross-disciplinary skill set.

HEN pursues AI-driven disaster-management opportunities by leveraging its firefighting data for predictive models and robotics, having secured over $30 million in funding (a $20 million Series A and $2 million in debt) with plans to raise again to accelerate growth.

Competitive landscape includes IDEX Corp, Central Square, and First Due, but HEN differentiates itself with a unique blend of hardware and data-driven capabilities backed by a star team.

Central to HEN’s approach is a data-rich system where embedded sensors in pumps and nozzles track water usage, pressure, wind, and weather to enable predictive analytics and better resource allocation for firefighters.

HEN participates in the NERIS program to advance predictive analytics for emergency operations, emphasizing that high-quality data is essential for effective forecasting in firefighting.