Source: Star Tribune

App for when you get pulled over by police now free in Brooklyn Center

March 31, 2022

Minneapolis tech company that created an app where drivers can video conference attorneys during traffic stops or after a car crash has partnered with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota to make its app free to residents of Brooklyn Center.

The partnership focuses on a city that was affected by a fatal police shooting in 2021 that led to more civil unrest across the Twin Cities in the wake of George Floyd's murder by police in 2020.

Hampton and his co-founders have raised $2 million from investors to grow TurnSignl, with the most recent investor being Minneapolis-based Brown Venture Group, a $50 million venture fund focused on investments in startups led by Black, Latino and Indigenous entrepreneurs.

"The team at TurnSignl is top-notch," said Paul Campbell, co-founder and managing partner at Brown Venture Group. "We see talented BIPOC-led businesses from across the nation, however, TurnSignl's leadership team is amongst the best nationally. They just so happen to be right here in our own backyard. BVG is excited to join them on their journey."

TurnSignl is operational in Minnesota, Georgia and California for drivers and has surpassed 10,000 downloads. In addition to its consumer product, the startup is building its enterprise segment, where TurnSignl would be used as a benefit to employees, paid for by the employer.