Glasgow entrepreneur behind lone worker safety alarm launches fund raise

A Glasgow-based business behind a personal alarm system has pushed the button on a crowdfunding campaign to help promote its latest offering.

Pick Protection, which is aiming to raise in excess of £100,000, has established a strong corporate customer base with more than 6,000 UK workers from clients including the British Red Cross, SSE, Arnold Clark and Majestic Wine using the firm’s personal protection systems. With the launch of its “Pick Guardian” alarm, the company is now entering the business-to-consumer (B2C) market.

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 Glasgow venture was set up by Rebecca Pick while attending Strathclyde University, following an assault on a woman who lived within the same block of flats.

Through the launch of the reward-based crowdfunding campaign on the Indiegogo platform, individuals are being offered an opportunity to get early access to the new personal protection device at a discounted price by making a pledge. The company was a winner at the 2017 AccelerateHER Awards for female founders. As part of its prize package, Pick joined a group of Scottish-based female founders in a market-building AccelerateHER trade mission to California in that same year.

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. Our product also brings a unique offering to the market which will further enhance individuals’ safety. As well as being the only personal alarm that can prompt a Category 1 police response to an exact GPS location, our device is small and discreet and can be triggered with just a double click of a button. We are very excited to launch our crowdfunding campaign where we aim to give people early access to this innovative, new technology.”