Ripple raises $3 million in seed funding for its panic button

Ripple Network Technologies has announced the successful closing of its $3 million seed financing round. The funds will be used for a full-scale launch of the Ripple Safety device and to grow the team behind the little wearable.

We wrote earlier this year about this gadget that wants to be there for you during emergencies. The company turned to Kickstarter to raise funds to develop the device, but ultimately failed to raise the $50,000 necessary for production.

Essential reading: Wearables that keep you safe

The project was cancelled in March but Ripple Network Technologies did not give up. The company put the failure down to not reaching enough women within the Kickstarter community, the main target group for such a device.

“Through extensive customer engagement, we learned that the women we reached outside of the community were too unfamiliar with Kickstarter to back the campaign,” Rees Gillespie, one of the projects founders wrote at the time.

“We have decided to cancel the campaign and migrate to our website www.ripplesupport.com where we will soon be taking preorders. We’ve learned that customers would feel more comfortable ordering directly through our website rather than Kickstarter’s platform, so that is what we plan to deliver.”

It seems shortly after the campaign was cancelled, the company was “flooded with requests from investors, retail outlets, and influencers who all want to bring Ripple to life”. But that’s not all. As a token of appreciation, the company promised their Kickstarter backers a Ripple device with 3-months of service at no charge.

The little padlock looking wearable is the size of a dime. It has a brooch-clip design which makes it easy to attach to clothing, keys or jewelry. Click the device or the app, and the user will immediately receive a call from the professional monitoring team to his or her smartphone.

Click once if you feel you are in an uncomfortable situation. This is used for anytime you just want someone there for you. If you feel you are in a serious emergency but can’t talk on the phone, click three or more times and the monitoring team will send first responders directly to your location. They will also relay all of your critical information to them on your behalf.

The user can also opt to skip the live-monitoring service option, and alert a pre-defined group of friends. This service is free of charge. For full functionality, there is an on-going cost of $10 per month. The wearable itself retails for only $19.

When setting up your personal profile, you choose information you wish to share. This includes your picture, date of birth, physical description, allergies, medical conditions, current medications, and anything else you feel may be important. This means, the support team knows all your vital information ahead of time, saving you invaluable time during an emergency situation.

Ripple Safety is water resistant and never needs charging. The battery lasts six months, and when it expires, you will receive a new one for free.

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