Last updated: 2026-07-01
Coram AI, founded in 2022, is a physical security platform that layers real-time AI detection onto a customer's existing IP camera network instead of requiring proprietary hardware like Verkada's. It combines weapon detection, natural-language video search, and access control in one dashboard for schools, hospitals, and enterprise security teams.
About Coram AI
Coram AI is an AI-native physical security platform founded in 2022 by Ashesh Jain (CEO, Cornell CS PhD, ex-Lyft Autonomy director) and Peter Ondruska (CTO, Oxford robotics PhD, co-founder of Blue Vision Labs acquired by Lyft). Based in Sunnyvale, California, the company has raised $30M in total funding including a $13.8M Series A led by Battery Ventures in January 2025. With 101 employees and $5.8M ARR as of 2025, Coram solves a core gap in physical security: traditional camera systems record everything but can act on nothing. Most security incidents are only discovered hours after the fact via manual footage review. Coram turns any existing IP camera into an intelligent AI Safety Agent that detects threats in real time and lets teams investigate footage in seconds, not hours. Coram's hardware-agnostic model is its primary differentiator over camera-first competitors such as Verkada and Rhombus, which require proprietary hardware and mandatory annual per-camera licenses. Instead, Coram layers its AI directly onto a customer's existing camera infrastructure, so IT teams keep the hardware they already own. Coram serves K-12 school districts, healthcare facilities, large enterprises, and logistics operators that need to centralize monitoring across many sites without swapping out camera hardware. Coram EMS extends the platform into emergency response for schools and hospitals, pairing panic-button alerts with live video context in one dashboard. Pricing is not published. Coram issues a custom quote after reviewing camera count, door count, and which premium modules a buyer needs, and a free trial requires no credit card to start. Coram earned a spot on the CB Insights AI 100 list in 2025 and holds SOC 2 Type II and HIPAA certifications, covering the compliance needs of regulated industries such as healthcare and K-12 education.
Screenshots
Pricing
Custom quote required. No public pricing table. Free trial available without credit card. Pricing is per-camera (video feeds), per-door (access control), or per-user (EMS). Premium features (weapon detection, EMS seats, access control doors) are licensed separately on top of the base platform fee. Multi-year terms (3, 5, 10 years) available. Organizations typically invest $5k-$50k+ annually depending on camera count and modules.
Key Features
- LLM-Powered Natural Language Video Search: Search across up to 36 cameras simultaneously using plain-English queries; find a specific person, vehicle, or incident in seconds instead of manually scrubbing hours of footage.
- Real-Time Weapon and Threat Detection: Detects firearms, slip-and-fall incidents, trespassing, overcrowding, and collision risk using parallel AI models; sends instant alerts to security teams via mobile, SMS, and email.
- Hardware-Agnostic Open Platform: Works with any ONVIF or NDAA-compliant IP camera from 50+ brands including Axis, Hikvision, and Uniview; no hardware replacement required, unlike Verkada which mandates proprietary cameras at $500-$3,000 each.
- Unified Access Control Integration: Pairs every door-access event with AI video footage automatically; integrates with Brivo, OpenPath, Avigilon Alta, Wiegand, and OSDP readers without additional configuration.
- Emergency Management System (Coram EMS): One platform for panic buttons, smart surveillance, door lockdown, reunification planning, and real-time incident coordination; built specifically for K-12 schools and healthcare facilities.
- Multi-Site Centralized Management: Manages hundreds of campuses from a single dashboard with hierarchical access controls; correlates security events across locations without forcing hardware refresh at each site.
Pros
- 4.9/5 on G2 from 184 reviews: users cite setup in hours (not days), with intuitive natural language search reducing investigation time from hours to under 5 minutes
- Hardware-agnostic architecture saves $500-$3,000 per camera vs. Verkada; organizations keep existing IP cameras and add AI intelligence without ripping out infrastructure
- SOC 2 Type II and HIPAA certified out of the box; the only AI security platform where every door event is automatically paired with video evidence in a single dashboard without API configuration
Cons
- No public pricing: all costs require a sales call; advanced features like weapon detection and EMS seats are add-on licenses that can significantly raise total cost beyond the base platform fee
- AI detection degrades with poor lighting, occlusion, or crowded scenes; calibration rules and alert thresholds must be tuned per site, adding setup time for large deployments
- Mobile app playback can lag on PTZ cameras; some users prefer web interface for multi-camera investigation; mobile accessibility is listed as a missing feature by 7 G2 reviewers
Product Information
- Cloud
- Yes
- Self-Hosted
- No
- On-Premise
- Yes
- Languages
- English
- Training
- Demo call, Documentation, On-site setup support
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do you pay for Coram AI?
Coram AI has no published price list. The vendor issues a custom quote based on camera count, door count for access control, and user seats for its emergency management module; weapon detection and EMS panic buttons are billed as add-ons above the base fee. Multi-year contracts of up to 10 years are available for enterprise and government buyers.
Can you use Coram AI without paying?
Coram AI does not offer a permanent free tier; every deployment eventually moves to a custom-quoted paid plan. It does offer a free trial with no credit card required, during which Coram's team validates camera compatibility and demonstrates the AI detection features live on the buyer's own site.
What should you use instead of Coram AI?
Verkada and Rhombus are Coram's two closest competitors, and both take the opposite approach: a fully proprietary camera lineup instead of layering AI onto hardware a buyer already owns. Verkada suits organizations starting a security system from zero cameras that want single-vendor support; Coram suits anyone with existing ONVIF or NDAA-compliant cameras who wants to avoid a full hardware refresh.
Coram AI or Verkada: which should you pick?
Verkada charges $199 to $1,799 per camera in mandatory annual licenses on top of its own proprietary hardware, while Coram works with cameras a buyer already owns and prices access separately by camera, door, or user. Coram's natural-language search and emergency management module go beyond Verkada's core video feed, but Verkada's plug-and-play setup can be faster for a team starting with zero existing cameras.
How long does it take to get going with Coram AI?
Most sites see AI detection features live within the trial period itself, well before any contract is signed. Start with Coram's free trial, where the team confirms your existing IP cameras are ONVIF or NDAA compliant, then walks through camera, door, and EMS-seat counts to scope a custom quote.