Here at Fab we know ladies run the world, so today we’re taking a look a three CEOs on the forefront of the fashionable tech market. Betsy Fore (WonderWoof), Christina Mercando d’Avignon (Ringly), and Urska Srsen (Bellabeat) each saw a gap in the market and seized it: they’ve created health trackers for you (and even your dog!) that count your steps without sacrificing your personal style. The wearables market is expected to double by 2020. With female-focused technology in mind, these women caught the trend early.
BETSY FORE, WONDERWOOF
Post-holidays, we all have the tendency to dote on our doggies. A treat here, a biscuit there—enter Wonderwoof, developed by Betsy Fore, a bow-tie shaped collar available in several delectable colors that tracks your dog’s activity and determines when they’ve earned a treat.
Inspired by her own attempts at helping her dog lose weight, Fore also designed WonderWoof as a social network, so you can locate other dogs in your area and keep your sweet babe busy with a canine BFF! After working in London as an Inventor for Mattel, Hasbro and the #1 kid’s digital brand in the UK, Moshi Monsters, Fore founded Wondermento (WonderWoof’s parent company), and in 2014, moved the company to St. Louis after receiving the esteemed Arch Grant. Fore was featured in Forbes’ 2015 30 Under 30 list for her manufacturing innovations, and acts as an advisor for UNICEF’s Wearables for Good initiative. “Pet Tech is a rising force that’s worth shouting about!” she says, and we’re inclined to agree – 54.4 million Americans own pups according to the APPA’s 2016 study, so there’s never been a better time for cute, tech-savvy collars. Geared towards women, Fore wants to make pets and their owners stylish, fit, and “happier together, which is why I started the company in the first place.” Soon to come from WonderWoof: GPS trackers in the collars, and a new Wonder-collar for your feline friends.
Check out our Facebook Live post with Betsy from last year:
CHRISTINA MERCANDO D’AVIGNON, RINGLY
Co-founded by Christina Mercando d’Avignon, Ringly’s posh rings (and bracelets) are available in a variety of gorgeous gemstones, including onyx and emerald, and they alert you to phone calls, texts and app alerts, while counting steps and calories.
“Like most startup founders, I created Ringly to solve a problem,” says Christina Mercando d’Avignon, who is also CEO. It’s the fashionista’s discreet alternative to the clunky FitBit or the battery-weak smart watch. After working at eBay and Hunch, d’Avignon began to envision “a future where our clothing and accessories become our mobile devices” so we can be “healthier, happier, and more efficient.” With Ringly, she’s succeeded. The accessories charge inside of a cute ring-box, and have a four-day battery life, better than most other wearables. D’Avignon double-majored in Fine Art & Human Computer Interaction from Carnegie Mellon University, and wants user experience to be both aesthetically pleasing and functional. Her advice to young women entrepreneurs? “Have perseverance…there’s nothing more rewarding than seeing your vision unfold and having others believe in it too.”
URSKA SRSEN, BELLABEAT
Urska Srsen, co-founder of Bellabeat, was named Number 1 on Forbes’ 2016 30 Under 30 Europe List, in Technological Innovations.
Bellabeat’s products include Shell, a demure white case that turns your iPhone into a baby heartbeat listener, and Leaf, an elegant silver clip that tracks your activity, stress level, sleep activity, and even your menstrual cycle! Originally from Slovenia, Srsen studied sculpting at the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts, and went on to graduate from the Y Combinator (a program that helps start-ups get off the ground). Originally focused on technology for natal care, Srsen stream-lined her interests to fit the market, developing wearable clips and bracelets that help women feel “powerful, capable, confident.” Bellabeat employs 60 people in offices on three continents. “It’s actually epic being a girl in startups,” Srsen admits. Outside of work, she is a passionate surfer and wants girls everywhere to know: “There is nothing you can’t do.”
Consider the Leaf Nature Activity Tracker in Rose Gold to complement your end-of-winter wardrobe.
–Catherine Pond