Paige Todd, B.S. Management ’07, has always been determined to pave her own path. That instinct to defy expectation is how she ended up at Georgia Tech as a business student in the Fall 2003, despite family hopes that she’d follow her older sister to Vanderbilt. Ever since that decision, her career has continued to be defined by adaptability, grit, and a passion for meaningful work.
A B.S. in Management with concentrations in marketing and operations led Todd to five years at Home Depot and eventually an MBA. When she reconnected with Georgia Tech alumnus, Garrett Langley (B.S. Electrical Engineering ‘09) at his engagement party, Todd was struck by how passionate he was about his work and the entrepreneurial vision that drove him.
In that moment, she committed to find a way to work with him. “Whatever he works on next, I’ll do it,” Todd remembered thinking. “I wanted to work with him, because I’ve never met anyone who’s more excited about their work than he is.”
Their conversation that night sparked joint work on two startups, giving Todd and Langley hands-on experience and cementing a partnership that would carry into their next venture together.
“Garrett left the second startup at the end of December, and by April or May we were participating in a prestigious startup accelerator in San Francisco,” Todd shared. “The idea for Flock Safety took shape quickly. We added a third co-founder, Matt Feury (B.S. Computer Science ’11). The three of us moved forward to build something together, and this idea was the first to take off.”
Founded in 2017, Flock Safety began with a simple idea: make neighborhoods safer through affordable license plate recognition. A rash of car break-ins in Langley’s new neighborhood prompted him to find a solution for this neighborhood annoyance. He began researching installing license plate reading cameras, but the hefty $25,000 per camera price tag created a security gap that needed to be filled. Langley, using his knowledge from Georgia Tech’s electrical engineering program, decided to build his own. Todd reached out to other neighborhoods with the same security needs.
“We cold-called 20 neighborhoods, and two bought on the spot,” Paige recalled. “They transferred money to Garrett’s personal bank account. We built a very early version of the product, which was really just an Android phone in a waterproof box, and we’ve continued to iterate and grow from there.”
Flock Safety Today
Flock Safety now operates in 49 states with nearly 1,600 employees and an expanding product suite that’s moved beyond license plate readers to include gunshot detection, crash sensors, and even drones that respond to 911 calls within 90 seconds.
“Our roadmap is simple: what crimes aren’t we solving yet?” Paige explained. Recent partnerships, like a full deployment in the new Midtown precinct that will directly impact the safety of the Georgia Tech community.
The journey hasn’t been without challenges. Privacy concerns and a commitment to staying close to customers have pushed Flock Safety to commit to prioritizing privacy and data safety. “No one worries about privacy more than we do,” Paige said. “Flock Safety has put safeguards in place so that data is deleted after 30 days and misuse results in termination and prosecution.”
Even as Flock Safety grows, customer care remains a top priority. “We continue to handle everything end-to-end, including hardware, installation, and maintenance,” said Todd.
Advice for Budding Entrepreneurs
For students dreaming of launching their own ventures, Todd offers some practical wisdom from her own entrepreneurial journey:
- Choose co-founders you trust and respect. “When we started the company, I remember being asked if I could work on this idea for the next 10 years. That sounded crazy. It’s been eight years now, and I’m so glad I work with people I trust and that compliment me.”
- Be ready to learn fast. “I wasn’t qualified for half the things I did early on. I spray painted cameras, hopped on sales calls, set up payroll and insurance. You figure it out as you go.”
- Leverage your network. “My Georgia Tech connections have opened doors to partnerships and talent. Our first 12 hires came out of Georgia Tech. You never know, your classmates may become your future co-founders.”
What’s Next?
When Todd thinks about what’s next for Flock Safety, continued mission-driven innovation is top of mind. “With two small children of my own, making schools and public spaces safer matters to me,” Todd said. “It's amazing to work on a mission that makes the world a better place and get to be surrounded by 1,500 people who feel the same way.”