By: Will Hall Contact: [email protected]
eNOugh is a London based company building the eNO badge, an AI safety companion that is addressing the lack of safety in the cities people call home.
Four years ago, Ina Jovicic was attacked walking home from dinner in a well-lit supposedly safe area of central London.
Today, Ina, and co-founders Gaelic and Alex, announce they have raised $2.7M funding, led by A*Ventures, with participation from Comma Capital, Karman Ventures, Intuition VC and more, to build the eNO badge, the first of its kind AI wearable threat detection device. Alongside venture capitalist backing, the round was joined by several prominent angel investors.
Quote from Kevin, General Partner at A*Ventures:
"I've always believed that safety and security are critically important. With the rise of multimodal AI, smart wearables, and advances in detection technology, there's a unique opportunity to create a safer world for everyone. What eNOugh is building is hugely important."
A* is a venture capital firm co-founded by Kevin Hartz. Kevin has seeded companies such as Airbnb and Pinterest, and has founded two companies that reached the public markets (Xoom and Eventbrite). A*'s broader investment track record includes companies like PayPal, Uber, Decagon, Ramp, and security-focused startups such as Flock Safety and Sauron.
Quotes from eNOugh co-founders:
"This round is fundamental in eNOugh's journey as it will allow us to launch the product and watch it make a difference in people's daily life. The stories we hear every day remind us why a product like this must exist, we want to give people the freedom to live without limitations." (Ina, co-founder/CEO)
"I've always believed that some problems can't be solved through software alone. Feeling unsafe is one of them. You need something physical, visible, and reliable, and that's what the eNO badge gives you. Thanks to our backers, we're now bringing it to life." (Gaelic, co-founder/CTO)
"What we are doing with our AI is taking it out of the lab and bringing it into everyday life. With the eNO badge, grounded in real-world, multimodal signals, we support people in the moments that actually feel human - like when someone feels unsafe walking home at night." (Alex, co-founder/CSO)
Four men circled and attacked Ina as they tried to take her things. The Balkan temperament in her kicked in and she immediately decided to fight back, but four against one isn't a fair fight. She was dragged into the middle of the street before they stole everything and left her with injured knees as souvenirs.
When the police arrived, they told her two things: "You're lucky you weren't stabbed" and "You should never fight back".
That second line became the catalyst. Not for fear, but for action. Ina used her experience as fuel to start her research into how to solve this yet unresolved issue.
To bring a solution to life, she partnered with two innovative minds, Gaelic and Alex, and together they started eNOugh.