"Now everybody is concerned, everybody is aware of wildfire," says Seth Schalet, CEO of the nonprofit Santa Clara County FireSafe Council."And so there's a lot of folks jumping into that kind of home entrepreneurial market. ... It's kind of the wild west now."Carsten Brinkschulte, the CEO of Germany-based Dryad Networks, holds up what looks like an oversized luggage tag.
He does have rivals, including a few U.S. firms. Funding from venture capital and the government is now flowing into wildfire prep technology. Companies are pitching high-end air filters and outdoor sprinkler systems to homeowners who can afford it.