North East firm behind powerful bullet shield for US schools in six-figure crowdfund

The North East company behind a safety device capable of stopping powerful sniper rifle bullets is targeting a six-figure investment.

Graphene Composites Ltd, based in Stockton-on-Tees, is looking to raise £300k in a campaign on funding platform Crowdcube.

As of Friday morning (February 15), the firm had already raised over £128k towards the total.

Graphene Composites is the company behind the GC Shield, which features a graphene-aerogel composite strong enough to resist NATO M80 sniper and AR-15 assault rifle rounds.

Since developing its GC Shield, the firm has turned the same technology into a raft of protective measures for schools to deploy in the event of an active shooter.

This includes its GC Shield Wall, which can protect groups of people, and the GC Shield Curtain, used for protecting larger spaces like school entrances and open-plan areas.

Graphene Composites said its technology combines graphene, the world’s strongest material, with aerogel, the lightest material, to create high-performance composite armour.

The US is the company’s target market, as active shooter situations – particularly in schools – are more common in America than anywhere else.

According to CNN, the US has seen at least 288 school shootings since 2009, which is 57 times more than the other six G7 countries combined.

Graphene Composites said its GC Shield active shooter protection packages could range from $16k to $1m per school.

The company was founded by its CEO, Sandy Chen.