“Deep Sentinel: Lessons Learned Building, Operating and Scaling an Edge AI Computer Vision Company,” a Presentation from Deep Sentinel

For the full video of this presentation, please visit: https://www.edge-ai-vision.com/2025/09/deep-sentinel-lessons-learned-building-operating-and-scaling-an-edge-ai-computer-vision-company-a-presentation-from-deep-sentinel/

David Selinger, CEO of Deep Sentinel, presents the “Deep Sentinel: Lessons Learned Building, Operating and Scaling an Edge AI Computer Vision Company” tutorial at the May 2025 Embedded Vision Summit.

Deep Sentinel’s edge AI security cameras stop some 45,000 crimes per year. Unlike most security camera systems, they don’t just record video for later playback: they use edge AI, vision and humans in the loop to detect crimes in progress. And then they react—quickly!—to stop the bad guys.

In this humorous and fast-paced talk, Deep Sentinel’s founder shares some hard lessons he learned in his journey taking Deep Sentinel’s AI cameras from idea to product. From the perspective of a software guy trying to build hardware, you’ll hear about pitfalls ranging from the challenges of low-volume manufacturing to the joys of hardware vendor software support. If you’re bringing a vision product to market, you can’t afford to miss this presentation—and if you’re a hardware, software or services supplier, come learn what you can do to make your customers’ lives easier.

1. Deep Sentinel:
Lessons Learned Building,
Operating and Scaling an Edge
AI Computer Vision Company
David Selinger
CEO
Deep Sentinel

2. Overview
What is Deep Sentinel
-A proactive crime-stopping (physical security) service built
around Cameras + AI
-5k customers, ~$15M ARR
Product development lessons learned
-Building our first product, iterating
-Supply chain/logistics/inventory/finance
-OEM/ODM/3rd party support
Our vision: A better ecosystem
-Holy shit building stuff for the first time! (This ain’tyour
father’s Raspberry Pi)
-ODM
-Software support
-New business models (recurring revenue vs. volume)
2© 2025 DEEP SENTINEL CORPORATION
•Intelligent cameras
•ARM-based and x86-based
AI edge compute devices
(Qualcomm, nVidia, Intel,
TPU)
•Human-in-the-loop (HITL)
Cloud

3. CRIMINAL ACTION
Traditional Security
Reactive response
in minutes, hours
CRIMINAL INTENT
3
AI is the Future of Next Gen Security
Proactive prevention
in seconds
CRIMINAL ACTION
Traditional Security
Reactive response
in minutes, hours

4. For this video and dozens more just like it:
https://www.youtube.com/@DeepSentinel/videos
4
What is Deep Sentinel?
© 2025 DEEP SENTINEL CORPORATION

5. V1 Wireless
Cameras
V2 Wireless
Wired POE
On-Prem Compute Hubs
V1 Wireless
V2 Wireless
Wired
Why?
No really, WHY!??!
●DIY + Pro
●B2C + B2B
●EOL HW
●Outdated SW
(Qualcomm SNPE)
●EOL SW
Our Hardware
© 2025 DEEP SENTINEL CORPORATION 5

6. 6© 2025 DEEP SENTINEL CORPORATION
15 year software veteran ⇒dive into hardware deep end. (or shallow end…)

7. 7
Product Development
AKA Hardware isn’t software
●Terminology is complex
●Process and quality control
are critical: Get it right the
first time.
●In-field fixes are time,
logistics and $ expensive.
●“Scalability” doesn’t mean
manufacturing capability --
but operational/quality
repeatability, buying power
and fiscal resilience.
Supply Chain/Logistics
●COVID sucked.
●Inventory turns --Cash are
non-linear exploding
problems
●Product lifecycle (EOL, etc.) is
inflexible and very difficult to
work around
●Most vendors want volume.
Even if you pay them for
something else.
●COVID sucked.
OEM/ODM/3rd Party
●Hardware suppliers suck at
software (firmware, support,
etc.)
●Off the shelf is hard too!
Lessons Learned
“Hardware is Hard”

8. What would have helped us?
What is a better ecosystem to me?
Getting a Foothold
-Process & terminology --6 months in hell, $5M to get educated.
Getting Going
-A Raspberry Pi/Arduino Fast-track: software-only prototypes + production-ready support
-ODM software support: Firmware, Cloud, Modules (???)
Keeping it going
-Software support
-Software support
-&&&& Software support (!!!)
8© 2025 DEEP SENTINEL CORPORATION

9. THANKS!
We made it!
-PM-Fit
-100% YoY Growth through $10M ARR milestone
Scalable HW Model
-Off-the-shelf hardware for 90% of sales
-Minimizing manufacturing
Scalable Business Model:
-Service-based pricing
-Not because we want to charge as a service; we provide an ongoing service.
9© 2025 DEEP SENTINEL CORPORATION
David Selinger
[email protected]