Safe & The City sexual harassment app is streets ahead
by Startacus Admin
London-based tech startup, Safe & The City, last week launched its personal safety app designed to battle opportunistic crimes and sexual harassment on streets by using GPS technology, crowdsourced information and crime data from the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) in London.
The app uses police data to alert users in advance before approaching intersections with a patterned history of crime.
With #MeToo and #TimesUp campaigns sparking conversations across the world about sexual harassment and gender inequality, Canadian-born and London-based entrepreneur – Jillian Kowalchuk – is taking action by introducing an app to tackle sexual harassment and violence against women
Safe & The City enables its users to report incidents based on how safe a route feels to mobilise tangible changes to improve safety on streets. In combining crowdsourced information on underreported experiences, like sexual harassment, with accurate data from the police (such as gun crime, personal property and theft amongst others), this unearths a wealth of invaluable data in a functional, everyday tool capable of making a real impact.
The app, currently available on iOS free of charge (Android soon to follow), features helpful prompts to stay alert before intersections where opportunistic crimes have happened more often as well as a 2-click access to 999 emergency services. After walks are completed, users can quickly rate elements of their walk, such as street lighting, to inform others of conditions and pattern behaviour that may make it better or worse to walk in a particular street at a certain time. In the future, the app will allow to share walks with friends and family to track real-time location and seeking help.
The idea for the app came after CEO and Founder Jillian Kowalchuk experienced sexual harassment herself:
“I put a lot of trust into navigation apps to get me around London, but found navigating only the fastest route wasn’t necessarily the safest. One evening, I was guided down a dark, narrow, empty alley, where two male kitchen staff on break said vulgar acts about what they wanted to do to my body. I ignored them, put on a brave face, but felt scared knowing I was walking where I couldn’t easily escape or seek help.
Their threats turned out to be empty, but I started thinking about younger or more vulnerable persons walking there where the situation could have escalated. With Safe & The City, I want to empower others to have all the information to help them feel and actually be safer”.
The company counts with the support of an experienced advisory board comprised of FindMaps Founder Mariam Crichton, Co-Founder of Aroxo Matt Rogers, former CFO of Deliveroo Phillip Green, and David White, Founder of the pioneering Big Data and AI company, Import.io.
Safe & The City obtained investment from the Geovation, recently received the Unltd award and signed its first safe site member - Huckletree – just before the launch.
Good luck to Jillian and the team - we hope to see this app scale nationwide if at all possible.
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
Want to streamline your business protection? Here are 5 of the top SaaS tools that can help you do just that.
Got issues with equipment theft by employees in your office or workplace? These practical tips will help prevent just that.
.jpeg)
Ensuring your employees are safe in the workplace is a must. Here are a few of the best ways that you can do just that.
The lowdown on the innovative companies that have been accepted into Net Zero 2.0, the programme dedicated to supporting the UK’s most promising climate tech companies
Fintech startup Lightyear announces major funding boost to accelerate its plans to open up transparent and low-cost investing to everyone in Europe
Planning to build your business into a luxury brand? These tips will help you do just that...
.png)
The lowdown on Abtrace, the startup that's created an AI solution to help clinicians make more informed decisions and deliver earlier diagnosis
Micro learning made easy thanks to Uptime, the app that enables users to access 5-minute Knowledge Hacks from the world’s best books, courses and documentaries
.png)
New UK Insurtech brand Adiona launches and reveals mission to use smart tech and data to provide fairer premiums and a better customer experience
Shutterstock acquires PicMonkey to help expand its offering to small businesses, by providing additional tools to non-professionals to elevate their visual content
Published on: 8th March 2018
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.
- Shutterstock Acquires Leading Creative Design Platform PicMonkey 10th Sep 2021 Shutterstock acquires PicMonkey to help expand its offering to small businesses, by providing additional tools to non-professionals to elevate their visual content
- Thermulon fundraise to support development of innovative thermal insulation product 8th Sep 2021 Thermulon launches CrowdCube campaign to help bring its innovative aerogel solution to the fast-growing global thermal insulation market.
- UK's Female Startup of the Year 2021 competition now open 3rd Sep 2021 Inspiring and ambitious female founders take note - Enterprise Nation's annual Female Startup of the Year competition is open for applications
- ECOncrete Secures $5 million+ Series A Funding 1st Sep 2021 Major funding boost for ECOncrete Tech to support development and growth of its innovative ecological marine construction solutions.
