Draft:Raija Abdelaziz
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Early Life and Education
[edit]Rajia Abdelaziz was raised in the United States, specifically New Hampshire where she attended Nashua High School North. She attended the University of Massachusetts Lowell, earning a degree in 2016 in the studies of electrical engineering and computer science. After graduation, Abdelaziz was offered a job at Google but declined to start a company with Ray Hamilton called invisaWear.
invisaWear
[edit]invisaWear is a domestic jewelry company containing installed technology that shares someone’s exact location with their family and friends. Some products invisaWear offers include necklaces, bracelets, and keychains. There is also unisex jewelry. The jewelry is priced around $129-$249. A wearer of this jewelry will do this if they feel unsafe where they are or a crisis is occurring. Each jewelry piece has a button to alert family and friends for help. An opt-in feature includes a 9-1-1 addition to the button where agents from the security company ADT alert 9-1-1 and first responders. An invisaWear app is given to users for free alongside the piece of jewelry. If users would like to via the app, an ADT agent can observe the user via video, allowing the agents to share a video with authorities if needed or get the user help to their location. A further feature via the app is that ADT agents are available 24/7 to call or text to ensure one feels safe. Voice activation can also be provided via the app where a secret phrase can be said that will alert ADT and thus authorities. When Abdelaziz and her co-founder graduated in 2016, they were looking for investors to fund their project. They were able to find investors who had daughters and understood the importance of safety and alerting authorities if a crisis occurs. Due to this, invisaWear was able to raise an $500,000 round of funding, allowing their necklaces, bracelets, and keychains to go to market in 2018. Since then, invisaWear has also expanded to scrunchies and fitness bands.
Motivations
[edit]The idea of a safety device in the form of jewelry was initially a class project for Abdelaziz, which she originally thought of as president of the Society of Women Engineers and the members felt uncomfortable leaving their homes when it was dark. She decided to make this class project a reality during a terrifying incident when she was walking back to her car and then a car filled with men started yelling unbecoming comments, leading to one of the men getting out of the vehicle. Thankfully, she was able to make it to her car and drive away to safety but this harrowing incident made her realize how crucial this project is and why it should become a reality. Not only is the pain point of invisaWear personal for Abdelaziz, but it is also a national issue. Women and men going about their daily lives can be subjected to harassment whether it be physical, verbal, or sexual. 77% of women and 34% of men have experienced some form of street harassment. Harassment can escalate, leading to life-threatening or life-changing injuries for years to come. Avoiding these injuries and the worry of being attacked can empower many men and women, which is why invisaWear was invented, to give people back their power.
invisaWear Today & Impact
[edit]invisaWear is doing better than ever. To exemplify a few examples, revenue for the company recently hit $15 million in 2023, Rajia Abdelaziz and her co-founder Ray Hamilton were featured on Forbes 30 under 30 North America in 2023, and Abdelaziz was honored under Inc.’s Female Founders list in 2024. Additionally, Abdelaziz and her co-founder acquired Flare in 2023, which is a domestic jewelry company (bracelets) that sends a user a fake phone call using a button on the bracelet to leave a situation where they feel uncomfortable. Outside of the awards and accolades, invisaWear has saved lives. A local woman in Lowell, Massachusetts slammed into a guard rail on the highway due to icy conditions. She could not locate her phone and other drivers had weak signals. Pressing the button on the invisaWear bracelet alerted her father, who was able to call 911 and save her life.
References
[edit]1. Puccio, L. (2024, May 8). Invisawear: A local business success story. Inside Lowell. https://insidelowell.com/safety-jewelry-a-local-business-success-story/ 2. Boston Tech Leaders: Rajia Abdelaziz, invisawear - the Boston Globe. Boston Tech Leaders: Rajia Abdelaziz, invisaWear - The Boston Globe. (2023). https://www.bostonglobe.com/tech-power-players/year/2023/person/rajia-abdelaziz-invisawear/#:~:text=the%20Lowell%20Connector.-,In%202020%2C%20invisaWear%20teamed%20up%20with%20ADT%20to%20integrate%20additional,the%20University%20of%20Massachusetts%20Lowell. 3. Meet Rajia Abdelaziz. CanvasRebel . (2024, April 22). https://canvasrebel.com/meet-rajia-abdelaziz/#:~:text=Declining%20Google%20was%20a%20pivotal,in%20the%20face%20of%20adversity. 4. Star burst charm necklace. invisaWear®. (2024). https://www.invisawear.com/products/star-burst-charm-necklace 5. Garone, E. (2021, November 2). How a scary incident led to a startup selling discreet panic buttons - WSJ. Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-scary-incident-led-to-startup-selling-panic-buttons-11635784122 6. Morales, K. (2019, March 13). This local engineer-entrepreneur’s pretty panic button is saving lives. UMass Lowell. https://www.uml.edu/news/news-articles/2019/exhale-invisiwear.aspx 7. Kearl H. (2018). The facts behind the #me too movement: A national study on sexual harassment and assault. Stop Street Harassment. http://www.stopstreetharassment.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Full-Report-2018-National-Study-on-Sexual-Harassment-and-Assault.pdf 8. invisaWear Technologies Corporation. Inc. (2024). https://www.inc.com/profile/rajia-abdelaziz 9. Green, H. (2023, March 20). Personal safety startup Flare acquired. The Business Journals. https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/inno/stories/news/2023/03/20/smart-bracelet-safety-startup-flare-acquired.html 10. Congi, M. (2019, March 1). Panic button jewelry helps save local woman’s life. WCVB-TV. https://www.wcvb.com/article/panic-button-jewelry-helps-save-local-woman-s-life/26596255