Panic button bracelet3/18/2023 ![]() Before starting InvisaWear, I had interned at Amazon, and I helped develop Bluetooth LE for wearable devices. It was very important for us to understand what their real concerns were. They told us it was the fact that we had never developed technology like this before - since Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) was new at the time and different from regular Bluetooth. Invisawear CEO Rajia Abdelaziz originally hails from New Hampshire and invented the wearable safety device while attended college at UMass Lowell. They wouldn’t even look at our business plan. But, a lot of investors would tell us we were too young, and because we hadn’t run a company before, they didn’t want to invest. Rajia Abdelaziz: We knew we needed to raise a lot of money from angel investors and venture capitalists to get the business up and running. That’s when it really hit me that we need to actually bring this product to the market because it’s a very real need.Įxhale: What was the biggest challenge when first launching the company? I ran to my car as quickly as I could and locked the doors. ![]() Then, the car stops and one of them starts to get out. A car full of guys drives by, and they yell out inappropriate comments. I didn’t ask anyone to walk with me, because I didn’t want to inconvenience anyone. Everyone would say it was because they didn’t feel safe going out when it was dark.Īt first, I said, why not get a can of pepper spray for $20? But, what if the attacker grabs it? You would have to keep it in your hand, but that’s inconvenient, and it might not be accessible to grab from your bag.Īround that period of time, I was walking back to my car one night after an event. I was president of the Society of Women Engineers at UMass Lowell, and, as the sun set earlier in the day, our attendance would go down. Rajia Abdelaziz:It originally started as a class project. ![]() The stylish charm that can be worn as a necklace, bracelet or keychain, with embedded technology that instantly shares your location with local emergency dispatchers and trusted friends and family during a moment of crisis.Īs a young entrepreneur and engineer, Abdelaziz shares with Exhale how her real life inspired the business, why other safety devices on the market aren’t practical and how asking for feedback can be a game-changer for your startup.Įxhale: How did you get the idea for a safety device worn as jewelry? InvisaWear, which she co-founded with Ray Hamilton, launched at UMass Lowell in 2016. Rajia Abdelaziz learned this firsthand in college, at University of Massachusetts Lowell, when she was followed to her car by a group of men one evening after dark.Īs you can imagine, she was terrified, but she turned the experience to her advantage, creating a sleek personal safety device discreetly designed as jewelry to allow women to call for help in a quick and convenient way - and when they need it the most. ![]() For women, potentially scary situations are a reality of life, and avoiding them isn’t always possible. ![]()
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