News / Tech
Inventors of social distancing gadget to launch new ‘game-changing’ product
Childhood friends who launched what became a global invention during the early days of the pandemic are now working on a new product.
Harry Kimberley-Bowen and Ronan Finnegan launched SpaceBands in March 2020 from a kitchen table in Clifton with the aim of helping businesses stay open by alerting users when they get too close to each other.
They went on to sell the product around the world to companies and organisations that included the NHS, Ministry of Defence, Panasonic, Sony and Amazon.
The two entrepreneurs have now pivoted their business model to focus on workplace health and safety with the development of a new multi-feature hazard alert system, tackling a broader spectrum of safety issues.
The new wearable device is linked to an app and online platform and monitors heart rates, prompts staff to take breaks and alerts them to hazards. The aim is to encourage employees to take action on wellness and help employers to make more informed decisions about safety while preventing workplace injuries and reducing staff sickness.
“We’re expecting it to be a real game changer in terms of workplace safety, well-being and insurance,” says Ronan.
Explaining the decision to pivot the SpaceBands business model, Harry says: “We always knew that our first social distancing device had a limit to its lifecycle, which is why we’ve been planning this business pivot for the past 18 months.
“We turned to our customer base to understand their pain points in workplace health and safety and have developed this new wearable technology and software platform to eliminate this pain.
“We are now raising funds to help us penetrate the market and achieve our mission of improving workplace safety for all. So far, we have raised over £450,000 of investment from both angel investors and a well-respected VC investor which we are incredibly proud of.
“We have also just launched a crowdfunding campaign on Seedrs to raise the remaining £150,000 of our £600,000 funding target – this means anyone can join us as a shareholder by investing anything from just £10. We are both so excited for what the future holds for spacebands.”
Main photo: SpaceBands
Read more: Bristol inventors go global with social distancing gadget
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