International travel inspired this Australian tech entrepreneur to design a device that helps keep women safe -- and now the world is buying it

CLIENT: WANDERSAFE
OUTLET: BUSINESS INSIDER

Canberra-based Stephenie Rodriguez has visited 54 countries, and as  woman generally travelling alone, knows all too well “what it feels like  to be unsafe”.So like all entrepreneurs, she set out to solve that problem, enlisting the help of a retire…

Canberra-based Stephenie Rodriguez has visited 54 countries, and as woman generally travelling alone, knows all too well “what it feels like to be unsafe”.

So like all entrepreneurs, she set out to solve that problem, enlisting the help of a retired CIA executive, Thomas Pecora, to create WanderSafe, personal device that acts like a personal panic button when you’re out and about alone. She raised $600,000 from angel investors around the national capital to bring her product to reality and it’s already proving to be a hit, with Rodriguez landing a distribution deal in duty free stores globally, as well as another deal with Qatar airways.

For Rodriguez, it’s not just about travel but the safety of women in general, something she’s well aware of in citing local statistics.