Personal safety company ROAR for Good Inc. was founded on the stated objective of preventing violence toward women through an education initiative as well as a technology product. A few years ago, the company released Athena, a wearable designed to make automatic emergency calls in dangerous situations. From the hardware and cellular service to a partnership with an emergency response organization, the product combines off-the-shelf technology specifically for women in emergencies.

“We took existing technology and put it together in a way and tested it to make sure that it’s something that can work. And we worked with police officers and self-defense instructors to put it together,” said Yasmine Mustafa (pictured), founder at ROAR.

Mustafa spoke with Rebecca Knight (@knightrm) and Jeff Frick (@JeffFrick), co-hosts of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livstreaming studio, during the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing in Orlando, Florida. They discussed the company’s formation and mission statement.

Validation for social mission

Beyond extensive research and user testing on the streets, Mustafa validated the product concept during the Athena fundraising process as well. Thanks to participation from some high-profile investors, the company handily reached its crowdfunding goals, putting themselves in a strong position for their seed round.

“We initially had the goal of $40,000. The results really blew us away. We hit that $40,000 goal within the second day, got to $100,000 by the 10th day, and then we ended the campaign with a little bit over $300,000 funding,” Mustafa said. 

The company also maintains a strong social responsibility program by donating a portion of every sale to nonprofits that specifically focus on teaching respect and healthy relationships to kids. These education programs focus on instilling empathy, which is the biggest factor in reducing violence toward women, according to Mustafa.

“What we found after talking with psychologists and researchers is that violence against women stems from gender discrimination and inequality and that there is one trait — if taught to young kids when they’re most impressionable — that can actually reduce violence against women. And that’s empathy,” Mustafa concluded.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing.

Photo: SiliconANGLE