The staggering growth of the Internet of Things and number of connected devices is driven by emerging applications and innovative business models. IoT devices offer greater control over appliances, gadgets along with streamlining business processes, improving connectivity and a better environment. Independent researchers suggest that IoT market will garner about six trillion USD worth of investment between 2015 and 2020. The Plethora of information, services, and resources on the Internet is assisting the entrepreneurs to make their own space in the market.
Erudite of DAZL
One such women entrepreneur who has not only managed to survive the competition but has flourished to create her own identity as a successful entrepreneur is Aditi Chadha. She is the Founder and CEO of DAZL – a company that is embracing technology to develop connected devices (IoT) and ensure the safety of women. Her exposure to manage different engagements like finance and accounting at the start of her career assisted her to outshine as a future entrepreneur. Prior to DAZL, she has worked with prominent companies like Deloitte and Grant Thornton. Living and working in the USA for more than a decade has further strengthened her thought process and honed her entrepreneur skills which she convincingly utilized at DAZL.
Talking about the core idea and inception of DAZL, the constant thought of her safety during her tenure in the USA as an international student was the top priority for Aditi and her family back in India. This thought gave the birth to the idea of having something innovative which can assist and ensure the safety of women, especially when they are alone or in an unfamiliar place. Anu Chadha, her mother, Co-Founder of DAZL is a serial entrepreneur. Her deep business acumen in design, manufacturing, and supply chain management has assisted DAZL to emerge as a well-known name in its industry in such a short span of time. This mother-daughter duo has struck the right chords and they both complement each other quite well. Their competitive nature and strategic thinking have set DAZL to success.
Women Safety – A Global Concern
The objective is to enhance the safety measures of women; however it also helps in managing emergency situations. DAZL is quite effective in situations where a woman requires immediate medical assistance due to an accident or a fall. In future, this connected device can also be used by men and elderly people in case they need help.
Sharing a report published by the United Nations, Aditi asserts that thirty-five percent of women experience assault at least once in their lifetime. Women’s safety is a massive problem which is not limited by any geographical boundaries. It’s a global issue as often women find themselves in a compromising and unsafe situation. This bothers Aditi and this drove her determination to build a secure and safe connected device (IoT) for women which can protect them across the globe.
The Journey of DAZL
DAZL puts in serious effort to build confidence and fearlessness among women so that they can embark on new journeys which can make them liberated. DAZL inspires every woman around the globe to come forward and break the inhibitions which have restricted them to follow their pursuits. Whether it’s travelling, attending college, working till late hours, this gadget is helpful in many ways.
Founded in 2015, DAZL is a tiny and discrete device based on proprietary technology. It allows a person to transmit an SOS along with their location details to their family with just a touch of a button. Additionally, it also has the option to initiate a loud alarm to diffuse an uncomfortable situation along with locating your keychain or smartphone. The tiny device enables the user to carry it by tucking it in their keychain, bracelet, and purse or can simply keep it in the pocket. It can also receive notifications from phone calls, messages and emails on the device. The DAZL platform makes intelligent decisions which assist you to take control of the situation and act with confidence.
To build the platform, Aditi has worked with engineers and designers across the Silicon Valley, China, Malaysia and India. Learning the cultural skills was a daunting task for Aditi as it required working efficiently with the team across diverse fields such as product design, industrial design, embedded hardware, and software.
Key Challenges
It was a hard task for Aditi, who is also the Chief Product Officer, to find talented engineers especially for designing the hardware of the device. The second biggest hurdle was to find a contract manufacturing partner who was competitively priced and who has an expertise in his job. Also convincing the person that she had what it takes to lead a venture of this volume and complexity, along with managing product management, and earning their trust was a challenge. But with perseverance, Aditi managed to successfully build a team of hardware and software engineers, as well as sign a contract with one of the best contract manufacturers in this field.
Awards and Achievements
As an evolving contributor in the IoT market, Aditi’s domain expertise has won her various awards and recognition. Aditi was sponsored by UNDP (United Nations Development Program) Thailand to speak at the Financial Times Investing for Good in Asia event. She received ‘Seed’ awards from Vodafone and Government of India, and an investment from SOS Ventures from Europe. Aditi successfully got selected in the top ranked HAX accelerator program focused on hardware technology, out of San Francisco. Additionally, she also received a merit scholarship from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for their Global Entrepreneurship Boot camp and earned a Certificate in New Ventures Leadership.
Source :-The 10 Successful Business Women To Watch In 2018
DAZL – Innovative Connected Device for Women’s Safety
