This past week I had the great pleasure to interview and talk with the creators of a Philly start-up--ROAR for good. ROAR for good is a small company that fights to battle with and works with women. The stats of assaults against women are overwhelming and disheartening. ROAR for good is taking their mission, to empower women, reduce assaults, and thereby transform society, and putting it into products women can use to be safe.
ROAR is releasing their first product "Athena" very soon! It is their first line of smart and fashionable jewelry. "It is a stylish module that can be worn as a necklace, clipped to a bag, attached to a key fob, or any other location that suits the wearer’s lifestyle. And, as a modular device, the face can be replaced with different designs and colors -- making it the ultimate accessory for the everyday woman," says co-founder Anthony Gold.
Now how exactly does this small piece of jewelry protect women? The module has a button on it that can be pressed whenever the wearer feels threatened. That one action causes the device to emit a loud alarm, send text messages to loved ones with the wearer’s location, and call 911 for immediate help. Also the device includes a silent mode for situations where the wearer does not want the attacker to know that the device has been triggered (e.g. domestic violence).
What's very interesting about this product as compared to other products that are marketed for self-defense for women, is that the Athena isn't a fighting tool. Many young women carry around pepper spray and other weapons of defense that would require hand-to-hand combat. Athena instead hopes to deter attacks and get the victim to safety as soon as possible. Because Athena is fashionable jewelry it is easy to access rather than digging through a purse for a tool. ROAR hopes to not only reduce assault, but also to make women feel more empowered. "The Athena line of jewelry is just our first product. We plan to introduce additional designs and styles to appeal to different lifestyles. Also, as technology evolves, more things can be done in even smaller space. For example, embedding the technology directly into clothing, footwear, phone cases, and so forth enables even greater flexibility."
In addition to making Athena, ROAR for Good also works with women and hopes to end all violence against women. A percentage of the Athena sales will go toward non-profits that are teaching young boys and young girls about empathy, respect, and healthy relationships -- programs that have proven to reduce violence into adulthood. The makers say, "We want to not only imagine such a violence-free world, we want to help bring that one step closer toward fruition."
The pre-orders for Athena start this week on Tuesday, October 20th at http://www.roarforgood.com. Also make sure to check out their Facebook and Twitter pages and see this young Philadelphia start-up grow and fight against sexual assault, physical assault, and domestic violence!
