UNB News
News and stories from one of Canada’s top universities

UNB PhD graduate sells cyber security firm for more than $3.6 million

Author: UNB Newsroom

Posted on Jan 29, 2019

Category: UNB Fredericton

A University of New Brunswick graduate has created a surveillance system that could potentially save lives.

In 2016, James Stewart founded EhEye, a cybersecurity software system that detects open weapons and suspicious activity using existing camera infrastructure in places like stadiums, airports and government buildings.

Dr. Stewart has a PhD in computer science from UNB and has worked as a sessional lecturer at UNB for more than 16 years. He has also spent nearly two decades researching artificial intelligence, emerging threats and user and entity behavioral analytics.

Last November, EhEye was purchased for more than $3.6 million in shares by Patriot One Technologies, a Toronto-based company that specializes in threat detection software.

“I’ve been drawn to policing and public security for as long as I can remember,” says Dr. Stewart. “I was accepted into the RCMP several years ago, but life went in another direction. I’ve always considered myself to have cop DNA, stuck in a geek’s body.”

“I worked as a crime analyst for the Saint John Police Force – one of my favourite jobs by far. Within that position, I supported various investigations as an expert in cybercrime.”

When Dr. Stewart started EhEye, he wanted to do something difficult. He had a vision for where public safety needed to go, and the market was quickly expanding.

“Now, EhEye has 12 people on their team and half of them come from UNB. It was important that we provided employment on a local level and to support UNB students and graduates, as well as our local economy,” says Dr. Stewart, who is now senior vice-president of video analytics for Patriot One.

“We met members of Patriot One at a trade show last year. We both had similar technologies, but their technology focuses on concealed weapons, while ours detects open weapons. By layering our technologies, we can create time and distance during an incident.”

Dr. Stewart says that this addresses a real need for traditional monitoring of cameras, which is usually done manually and prone to misses.

By joining Patriot One, EhEye technology will see a major boost in resources and support, which will allow them to progress and further develop their technology at a much faster pace right here in New Brunswick.

Media contact: Angie Deveau

Photo: Katie Roy