The Montréal startup behind a breath-filtering mask for recreational hunters is now expanding into the defence sector, a move that has brought international partnerships and fresh funding.
Rozvelt, which makes odour-masking headgear, announced on Monday that it has secured $3.1 million CAD in seed funding from a number of angel investors, led by Benoit Robert, a partner at wealth management firm Evovest. The company plans to use the funding to expand its breathable headgear product line to cater to the military, law enforcement, and first responders, following a burst of interest from those markets.
“Everywhere we go, we see strong interest in Canadian defence innovation.”
Nicholas Monette, Rozvelt
Rozvelt’s consumer headgear, called Vektr, was designed to filter out odour particles exhaled by the wearer, but not particles that are inhaled. It connects magnetically to an adjustable band that wraps around the head, with a removal clasp near each ear. The company claims recreational hunters, as well as wildlife photographers and nature observers, can use it to conceal their scent.
According to Rozvelt co-founder and CEO Nicholas Monette, the pivot began when Rozvelt presented at the SHOT Show in Las Vegas, run by the US Firearm Industry Trade Association. The company was approached by hunters and defence companies who told them there was a bigger problem its masks could tackle.
Shooting a gun can expose people to lead particles from ammunition, which is associated with health issues like cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and kidney failure. They suggested that Rozvelt make its headgear dynamic, so it could switch between filtering exhales (to stop the wearer’s scent) and filtering inhales (protecting the wearer from dangerous particles). Beyond just lead exposure, the masks could serve as a kind of personal protective equipment, fit for combat and other hazardous environments. That’s now what it plans to focus on with its fresh funding, in addition to starting production of the consumer Vektr product in Canada this fall.
“When we saw all this traction in defence, that’s when we took the product and went into all the biggest defence shows,” Monette said in an interview. That included the International Defence Industry Exhibition in Poland, a NATO conference in Luxembourg, and SEECAT in Japan—which is where BetaKit reached him by phone.
RELATED: Rozvelt bets on hardware for hunters amid tariff-spurred funding crunch
The company launched last year at the height of the Canada-US trade war, at possibly the “worst time” to raise money for a hardware company due to investor concerns about tariff impacts. Trade tensions between Canada and the US are now impacting Rozvelt, but not in the same way. Monette said that his company’s position as a Canadian startup with dual-use applications (both civilian and military) has made it an attractive partner for international investors in Europe and Asia. One example is Rozvelt’s partnership and planned distribution agreement with Japan’s Seaprex, an industrial marine manufacturer with defence applications.
Having the Canadian brand behind them was a tailwind. “Everywhere we go, we see strong interest in Canadian defence innovation,” Monette said.
This comes amid tens of billions of defence dollars committed by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal government and an explosion in support programs for companies making dual-use technologies. But Monette said Canada’s defence gold rush wasn’t what prompted the switch—international interest came first. He added that Rozvelt is looking to sell to the Canadian Armed Forces as soon as possible.
At the same time, he said, Rozvelt is open to pursuing deals with the US military. “If they want to work with us, we’ll work with them,” Monette said.
Feature image courtesy Rozvelt.
The post Rozvelt built a high-tech mask for hunters. Defence buyers see something bigger. first appeared on BetaKit.