Avery Piantedosi-Petrovski, LifeKnight, on AI-Powered Emergency Detection and Direct-to-911 Response for Senior Living and Vulnerable Workers (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 947)
In this episode of North Fulton Business Radio, host John Ray welcomes Avery Piantedosi-Petrovski, Founder and CEO of LifeKnight, an AI-enhanced safety platform that detects emergencies, routes alerts to the right responders, and connects directly to 911, bypassing traditional call centers that slow response times.
Avery traces the company’s origins to a personal experience: while working as a real estate broker, she was nearly assaulted by a prospective buyer during a property showing. That experience sent her researching the vulnerability of lone workers and others in high-risk situations, and she was equally surprised by what she found about the 911 system itself. Built on copper-wire landlines from the 1960s, the system is tied to static addresses and does not automatically locate a caller dialing from a cell phone. LifeKnight fills that gap by providing real-time latitude and longitude data to first responders, along with pre-entered information about the person and the event, so that when help is dispatched, no time is lost explaining the situation.
The platform uses three AI agents working in sequence: one detects data signals, a second assesses whether an emergency is occurring, and a third determines how to route the alert. The endpoint is always a human responder, whether that is a 911 operator, a facility’s nursing staff, or a corporate Global Security Operations Center. Avery discusses the senior living market as LifeKnight’s strongest area of product-market fit, including an emerging wearable partnership aimed at people aging in place at home. She also describes an early pilot with social workers, one of whom told her that no one had ever recognized how vulnerable that job made them.
John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. The show is produced by John Ray and North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, and is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
Key Takeaways from This Episode
- The U.S. 911 system was built on 1960s landline technology and does not automatically locate someone calling from a cell phone. LifeKnight addresses that gap by transmitting real-time geolocation and pre-entered personal data directly to first responders.
- LifeKnight’s three AI agents work in sequence to detect a signal, assess whether an emergency is unfolding, and route the alert, with a human responder always at the endpoint. Bypassing the call center model cuts response time in situations where seconds determine outcomes.
- The platform integrates with wearables, PERS devices, safety apps, and existing security infrastructure, allowing device manufacturers and senior living facilities to embed LifeKnight as an invisible layer rather than replacing what they already use.
- Avery’s personal experience as a real estate broker and her earlier career as a social worker in home health shaped the company’s focus on protecting lone workers, seniors, and others whose vulnerability is often underestimated.
Topics Discussed in this Episode
00:21 John Ray introduces the show and guest Avery Piantedosi-Petrovski
02:17 Avery describes LifeKnight’s emergency detection and direct-to-911 platform
03:03 How LifeKnight detects emergencies through wearables, apps, and PERS devices
04:19 Avery’s backstory: from real estate broker to tech founder after a near-assault
06:28 The surprising limitations of the U.S. 911 system and why cell phones don’t solve them
08:09 How LifeKnight fills the gap between an emergency and first responders
10:35 How AI enhances the platform: three agents that detect, assess, and route alerts
11:55 Routing alerts to 911, nursing staff, or a Global Security Operations Center (GSOC)
13:41 Bypassing call centers to cut response time when seconds determine outcomes
15:11 How the platform learns individual behavioral baselines to flag health changes
16:38 Enterprise customers: senior living facilities, home healthcare, PERS device providers
18:50 Avery’s personal motivation: aging parents and a career that began in social work
20:22 Aging in place: filling monitoring gaps when overnight caregivers are not present
22:39 Who should contact LifeKnight and how the platform can be a revenue driver
24:32 Early success story: protecting social workers in the field
26:11 Silicon Valley Safety Group and the broader case for protecting lone workers
Avery Piantedosi-Petrovski, Founder & CEO
Avery Piantedosi is the Founder and CEO of LifeKnight, Inc., an AI-powered safety technology company transforming emergency response through real-time detection, automation, and communication. Since founding the company, Avery has built LifeKnight’s operations from the ground up, establishing infrastructure, securing IP, and scaling go-to-market functions across enterprise, healthcare, and high-risk sectors.
Under her leadership, LifeKnight developed key operations like engineering, compliance, customer onboarding, and internal systems; expanded go-to-market functions by launching B2B pilots, improving sales strategies, and entering important markets; partnered with IBM Watson and NVIDIA to boost AI and biometric detection; led the creation of the LOIS AI-Enhanced Safety App and LifeKnight HUB platform; obtained a U.S. utility patent for the company’s safety detection and emergency response system; and raised two rounds of early funding while pursuing venture and acquisition discussions.
Some key achievements include being chosen for the NASA Technology Docking Program to speed up testing and launch, finishing Stanford’s Global Innovation Catalyst (GIC) to improve product-market fit, completing MSU’s Conquer Accelerator focused on growth and understanding customers, and participating in the NENA Work Group for new ways to communicate with E9-1-1, helping to shape national emergency response guidelines.
LifeKnight’s flagship, the LOIS Safety App, brings Avery’s vision to life, automating emergency response through intelligent detection and integration with wearables and safety systems. Through LifeKnight, she continues to lead innovation at the intersection of AI, safety, and health.
LifeKnight
At LifeKnight, Inc., the company is redefining what safety means in the modern world, merging health monitoring, emergency response, and AI to create the first real-time detection and direction platform that requires zero user action.
Its main products, the LifeKnight API Platform and the LOIS AI-Enhanced Safety App, identify emergencies as they happen and quickly send the appropriate help, avoiding the usual delays and call centers. From biometric anomaly detection to fall alerts and geo-fencing, LifeKnight automates safety across the environments where it matters most: workplaces, senior care, real estate, and high-risk industries.
Powered by NVIDIA and IBM Watson, LifeKnight uses high-performance computing and AI to deliver precision, reliability, and speed.
What LifeKnight offers: AI-driven detection and direction that detects health anomalies, falls, accidents, and critical safety events in real time, automatically directing response through AI agents; direct connection to 911 and emergency services that bypasses call centers and middlemen, routing emergencies instantly to the right help and saving crucial seconds; seamless wearable and system integration that connects with Apple Watch, Oura Ring, Fitbit, and existing safety platforms to scale protection without disrupting operations; and real-time emergency alerts that deliver targeted notifications for individual incidents, workforce emergencies, and large-scale threats with full visibility via the LifeKnight HUB dashboard.
Who LifeKnight helps: healthcare and senior living facilities that need fall detection, health monitoring, and aftercare for assisted living, hospitals, and home care; companies that require safety solutions for tech campuses, logistics centers, and large organizations; tech companies wanting to improve safety features for their communication, security, or workflow tools; and industrial workplaces that require geo-fencing, alerts for unusual activities, and automated emergency responses in dangerous settings.
Renasant Bank supports North Fulton Business Radio
Renasant Bank has humble roots, having started in 1904 as a $100,000 bank located in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has grown into one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions, boasting over $26 billion in assets and more than 280 offices offering banking, lending, wealth management, and financial services throughout the region. All of Renasant’s success stems from the commitment of each banker to invest in the communities they serve, which in turn helps them better understand the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, their banking professionals understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.
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Whether you’re a law firm, medical practice, or manufacturer, there’s one headline you don’t want to make: “Local Business Pays Thousands in Ransom After Cyberattack.” That’s where Beyond Computer Solutions comes in. They help organizations like yours stay out of the news and in business with managed IT and cybersecurity services designed for industries where compliance and reputation matter most.
Whether they serve as your complete IT department or simply support your internal team, they are well-versed in HIPAA, secure document access, written security policies, and other essential aspects that ensure your safety and well-being. Best of all, it starts with a complimentary security assessment.
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About North Fulton Business Radio and host John Ray
With over 900 episodes and having featured over 1,400 guests, North Fulton Business Radio is the longest-running podcast in the North Fulton area, covering business in our community like no one else. We are the undisputed “Voice of Business” in North Fulton!
The show invites a diverse range of business, non-profit, and community leaders to share their significant contributions to their respective markets, communities, and professions. There is no discrimination based on company size, and there is never any “pay to play.” North Fulton Business Radio supports and celebrates businesses by sharing positive stories that traditional media ignore. Some media lean left. Some media lean right. We lean business.
John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. John and the team at North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, produce the show, which is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
The studio is located at 275 South Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009.
You can find the entire archive of shows by following this link. The show is accessible on all major podcast apps, such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, and many others.
John Ray also operates his own business advisory practice. John’s services include advising solopreneurs and small professional services firms on their value, their positioning and business development, and their pricing. His clients are professionals who are selling their expertise, such as consultants, coaches, attorneys, CPAs, accountants, bookkeepers, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.
John is the author of the five-star-rated book The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices, praised by readers for its practical insights on raising confidence, value, and prices.
