A Scottish businesswoman who launched a personal alarm for companies to issue to their employees is raising funds to support expansion into the consumer market.
Pick Protection was aimed initially at lone workers, including those working at night. It has established a strong corporate customer base with more than 6,000 UK workers from clients such as the British Red Cross, SSE, Arnold Clark and Majestic Wine.
Its “Pick Guardian” alarm will be available directly to consumers and founder Rebecca Pick is aiming to raise in excess of £100,000 through a crowdfund campaign on the Indiegogo platfform.
The device operates through a combination of a small, wearable trigger button which is linked to a smartphone app. A simple double click of the trigger button connects the user to a receiving centre within seconds, which can then prompt a police response to an exact GPS location.
The audio of any incidents involving an alarm user is also recorded and can be used as court evidence if required.
The venture was set up by Ms Pick while attending Strathclyde University, following an assault on a woman who lived within the same block of flats.
She said: “The launch of the new Pick Guardian alarm is a significant development for our business as it gives us a foothold into the B2C personal protection market.”
