August 29, 2023 • 28 mins
This week we speak with the Founder of RouteBuddies, Jack Blundell. While primarily focused on being an app for social good, Jack explains his solid revenue model and where he wants to take RouteBuddies in future.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:06):
Welcome to insider stories from Wales in Tech.
This week,
I'm talking to Jack Blundell from Root Buddies started while Jack was at University.
Root Buddies aims to make our streets safer.
(00:27):
Thank you,
Jack for agreeing to be part of Wales In Tech podcast this week.
First of all,
we're gonna start with the usual five questions.
What is your company called?
And what does it do?
Group buddies is the name of our company.
Thank you for having us by the way.
And we are the first safety app to allow people to actually help each other stay safe on the street.
So we're an app to find walking groups,
(00:48):
to find running groups and to share information with local members of your community.
OK.
So I think you've answered this question,
but would you then class yourself as B to C?
No,
both B to C and B to BB to C is a large part of this because obviously we need community members and a large part of that,
it's the public.
But B to B and the fact that we're going to universities,
that we're going to councils to try and roll this out on a wider basis.
(01:12):
That's where we see a lot of value.
Oh cool.
Ok.
And so what is this,
is this like a a business,
is a subscription model or is it premium or free or advertising supported?
Yeah,
so we're definitely a premium model.
So we we really like being in the ethical space where we're providing value for free.
But then we have the option to charge a little bit not too much because it's a safety app to basically offer more social experience through the app,
(01:38):
which is where we differ from other states,
the apps,
we have that community and the social aspect in there.
So that's where we're planning to charge for a subscription.
Are you looking for investment or have you bootstrapped so far?
So we've bootstrapped so far,
but we are looking to get investment on the table now,
especially we're bringing somebody new into the team,
somebody who's not a guy,
(01:58):
not a white male,
which is amazing.
So we're gonna be looking for investment bootstraps,
which I'm very happy about.
Great.
Ok,
so,
ok,
so let's move on to basically who you are,
where you come from or how you got to this point.
Why you started this business essentially.
Yeah.
Amazing.
So,
I mean,
I'm a 23 year old guy.
I come from Cornwall,
(02:18):
I come from quite a alcoholic family.
So I think that has always been a big driver to get the hell out of that.
And to get into a better situation,
coming to university.
I was always passionate about making something huge,
making the next Google,
making the next Facebook.
I had plenty of ideas about party apps and you know,
that was where my life was at at the time and it really came down to the Sarah Everard case and people sharing their experiences of,
(02:46):
of harassment on the streets that really started to reframe my mind about,
right?
How can we make something to help here?
So all of that kind of culminated into me making this app and carrying on with it,
going,
getting a job and working on it on the side and,
and yeah,
hiring on until we got to this,
this point.
Now,
which is nice.
What did,
what did this if I take you back then?
(03:06):
What did stage one look like?
You know,
you've had this idea,
you want to solve really perent problem in our society,
hopefully,
you know,
drive to make it safer for people to walk home at night.
But how did you get from that idea to actually putting pen to paper,
developing an app,
etcetera?
Yeah.
So I think the big thing was obsession.
I became obsessed with this problem and everybody I spoke to,
(03:28):
I'm a guy,
I don't experience problems.
So I would just speak to everybody,
my girlfriend,
her friends,
her parents,
my parents,
my sisters about what could be something to solve it,
which was very natural.
At the time because everybody else was doing the same thing.
People were setting up groups to help each other different,
different things within their family.
Whatsapp released a live location.
So this,
it was all very natural and it was just really a big obsession and the more I spoke to people,
(03:53):
the more things started to click and paste and uh somebody said one day,
well,
do you know there's a whatsapp group where people are walking each other home?
And I was like,
thing.
That's it.
That's a brilliant app idea.
And then from there,
it was really having to learn how to make the app and,
you know,
I knew how to make a website,
but I,
I had to go in and make the app so I could,
I could show you videos of the app a long time ago.
(04:13):
But even then it was a fraction of what it is now and it was very interesting cure.
And we had to,
you know,
I built part of the app and I'd show somebody and they'd be like,
but I can see that woman's location and I'd be like,
oh my gosh.
Yeah,
that's,
that's terribly,
that's the problem.
You,
you developing the app yourself then,
or were you your degree in applied software engineering from Cardiff University?
(04:36):
Yeah,
you said you said in your reply that you're a,
you know,
young white guy who hasn't really experienced this problem.
Do you think as you've been doing this.
It's kind of opened your eyes to all the different parts of,
you know,
society,
perhaps not just young women,
but also LGBT or all manner of diverse groups who experience abuse on the streets.
(05:01):
Yeah.
Absolutely.
It's,
it's been the biggest eye opening experience of my life is not only on the one half where it's the problem and the people who experience it,
but then the people who absolutely refute it who say it's not a problem,
they dress up a certain way.
It's been very enlightening to see both halves of the spectrum.
I think,
the more we've delved into it,
the more we've spoken to our like customer base and our audience,
(05:23):
different communities have different needs for safety and that's been really enlightening.
So that's the big thing.
You can talk to one person who says,
yeah,
I don't mind walking with guys home if they're safe and then you talk to other people who say the bipolar opposite and that's,
that differs in each,
um in each community.
So,
yeah,
that's been very eye opening.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So you,
so you,
I,
I've downloaded the app and,
(05:45):
you know,
I'm aware that as a white male as well and I'm,
you know,
6 ft four and perhaps look imposing if you didn't know me,
I'm aware when I was signing up.
Do I?
Should I even do this,
right?
Like who's,
you know,
I would,
I would think I was safe walking someone home.
But um you know,
is there any point to this?
So how,
(06:06):
how are you finding the people who are signing up?
Are they mostly in your target group or diverse mix?
And also tell me a little bit about how you,
you check them,
you know,
how,
how do you know that I am quote unquote safe.
So yeah,
the way we do this is,
well,
we're using tiktok,
we're using Instagram to kind of pump this out to as many people as we can.
(06:26):
But the big thing is yeah,
safety.
How do we check?
People are actually who they say they are and we have that a lot when we speak to guys like what's the point of me going on?
So this was a big transformative thing in terms of verification.
We take a picture of your ID.
We make sure that you take a selfie with your camera with your hand up and we make sure that you verify your identity,
that your details match as well.
(06:46):
And we've had multiple guys sign up with like bold heads saying that they're 19 year old females and it's,
you know,
it's,
it's quite easy to spot out as well as fake I DS.
So to actually access any of the,
the parts of our app where you communicate with other people,
you need to verify your identity.
But that's been the biggest problem.
How do we turn this into something that guys are gonna feel like,
(07:07):
well,
what's the point in me being on this to something where they feel like?
Right?
I need to be a part of this change and that kind of came from changing this from a uh let's walk together like an Uber app into a community app.
So now we're actually opening the door to having a men only community,
a woman only community and a general community,
which are already things we kind of have in there.
But going down this community route,
(07:27):
we hope that in the future,
we can also offer these communities to different minorities,
to different charities,
to different areas,
different universities,
if that makes sense,
like safe spaces for these particular communities.
And are they then just like forums like discussion boards or like,
are they basically like whatsapp groups within the app or are they a mixture of different things like awareness campaigns?
(07:49):
And it's a bit of everything really,
I'd say we're going for is hyper local,
either street information or hyperlocal request.
So what does that mean?
You will have access to a feed where you'll be able to see people's requests for saying I need a running body on Saturday.
Can somebody come with me?
But then also the app is used as an instantaneous system.
So you might be there at home and you might instantly get a request saying Jennifer needs somebody to walk her home from live lounge.
(08:14):
Can you help her out?
Uh but then there's also other parts of the app.
So our,
our prototype,
it,
it sounds really messy when I describe it.
But on there you've got everything from route avoidance.
So we're looking at the crimes from the police.
We're not just putting them on the map but actually helping you avoid those dangerous areas.
And uh we're taking some of the,
the features that really prevalent on the other safety apps that are really essential to somebody who's on their own and incorporating them.
(08:37):
So that even if you can't find a route buddy,
you have those,
those value valuable features as well.
But I suppose I'm going to then play devil's advocate a little bit just to get out of you.
Uh All these,
all these great ideas to solve unfortunate social problems we wish didn't exist often fail when they can't generate revenue.
(08:59):
So how does the revenue model look like?
Where,
where's the money coming from?
Is there affiliations?
Uh Is there a subscription charge?
Yeah.
So how,
how is it generating or going to generate?
I can appreciate they might not yet.
But what is the plan?
Yeah,
absolutely not generating revenue yet.
We really have been keen on having it free,
but the big big moneymaker is a subscription.
(09:19):
We know that parents of students and we know that students in particular find tremendous value in not only the safety aspect of this,
of having safety in numbers,
but also the social aspect of this.
But we see more value to be honest in places like universities where they have a responsibility to cater to their students,
to provide them with safety initiatives,
(09:40):
with the information,
they need to stay safe in a brand new city.
And we're actually going to be doing a case study through the summer with a,
with a university that I can't say the name of yet because it's not really in writing.
But yeah,
that,
that's the direction we're going.
And um yeah,
so B to C we really,
the big goal here is to do a bit of a Robin Hood thing.
We're trying to do something as free as we can and charge in the right places.
(10:02):
So for business industry districts,
that's somewhere where we want to go as well.
So that's our big money maker.
Hopefully we can get a lot of accounts rolled out to a lot of community members either in universities or organizations.
And that's where we really see this taking off because there's a responsibility on their behalf.
But then there's also our functionality which really aids the community members and can really bring them the positive,
(10:27):
the positive things that we hope to bring.
Yeah.
So how long,
how long ago did you start this mission?
I think I saw you at that pitch day probably about a year ago now.
So 29 2020 even I started this.
So 20 it's been about three years now.
Since starting.
And,
um,
yeah,
that,
that has been a while so quickly.
(10:47):
I know who's on your team.
So,
like,
what does the team look like?
Because you keep,
you say we,
uh,
and I,
I believe from your website as well.
There's a few of you working on this now and you've got a new hire coming soon,
which is great.
So,
yeah,
who's working on this?
And what do they do?
Yeah.
So we're very development heavy.
So we've had people come in and come out.
We've recently brought on our new marketing person,
(11:09):
Leo I say marketing person because it's a bit up in the air,
they might be coming on in a different role.
So that's,
that's one person who's really a big part of the team now and then it's myself and a developer who are working really heavily on the product.
And then we have a couple of videographers who are working for us as well.
So it's,
it's still pretty small and humble,
but we're growing.
And what I'm really happy about is these are volunteers.
(11:30):
So these are people who are coming in without a stake in the business who are really passionate and believe in me and it just,
it really fuels me to be honest,
it really helps.
Yeah,
you uh I said earlier,
you were part of a pitch program.
Do you think those accelerators helped in this journey?
No,
I'm in the Natwest Entrepreneur Accelerator and that one's absolutely brilliant.
(11:51):
I'm in this for six months.
I have free office space.
I have a community of individuals I can bounce off of.
I think that's really valuable.
What,
what is the most of it there?
Is it the people or the office space?
Because obviously,
you know,
lot of people like to work remotely.
But I know at the start of a business myself because I've done it myself,
that kind of coffee maker conversations are really,
(12:12):
really helpful.
Sometimes it's,
it's a mix of both.
I think having this network entrepreneurs who are all extremely passionate in one place,
you know,
and,
and as well,
we do have this routine every couple of weeks,
we go in and we have group sessions,
we sit down with people who are at the same level as us and we say,
what do we need to do?
What's the reality?
(12:32):
And then everybody goes around and says what they want to do.
And that for me is the most valuable part because I'm 23.
A lot of these people are like,
you know,
a lot older than me,
a lot more experienced.
And,
you know,
for me,
it's,
it's incredibly valuable.
Yeah.
So if one of those accelerators or even just the networks that you've been building turned around and said,
look,
we're gonna give you quarter of a million to build out this app and this whole ecosystem.
(12:54):
What do you think that money would be spent on,
you would be definitely spent on hiring our development team and marketing team to be in place five days a week,
uh,
primarily as well as trying to look at.
Well,
that's actually the big thing,
to be honest right now,
we're working myself five days a week,
other people,
two days,
three days a week.
So that would be the big thing to really drive up,
(13:14):
you know,
how much we can actually accelerate with this.
But then as well,
things like,
I know that micro influencers are a massive thing on tiktok right now and that's a huge part of growing.
So that's why I'd want to explore.
Um But generally I,
I wouldn't want to spend it all at once.
I think that's a sensible answer.
Right.
It goes,
it goes very quickly,
actually,
it's amazing,
amazing thing.
If you can get a few clients,
(13:36):
like,
you know,
by that universities or organizations signed up before you go for funding,
that's,
you know,
the golden ticket because it,
it proves the model,
you know,
it's much more investor friendly then.
So,
yeah,
I think it,
because you're coming up to the end of university,
I imagine.
Or have you got another day a long time ago?
(13:56):
Yeah.
II,
I graduated in 2021.
So I'm uh yeah.
Wow.
So you hang on.
Yeah,
I followed,
followed university.
I,
I,
well,
following university,
I got a job at Verise who you might know and amazing company.
To work for,
they were very supportive,
but I was always very honest with like this is what I'm doing on the side and they were super supportive.
(14:19):
And uh yeah,
it was only at the end of last year,
I decided to leave that role just to really this.
Oh,
that's great.
Ok,
so you're doing this full time and you're hoping to get funding so others can do it full time with you.
What about ways in which to get people signed up?
So you've got these kind of channel partners who are hopefully universities and,
(14:42):
and large organizations.
But what about like direct to the consumer?
How do you,
how,
what is the sell like?
How do you get uh maybe a woman who is 22 years old to sign up?
I think,
I think the big thing is there is a problem admittedly,
you know,
women aren't safe on their own and safety apps are still providing them maps where they're on their own.
So I think that is our big style at point and kind of bringing people in to be a part of the change rather than just having another tool on your phone.
(15:09):
You are actually being a part of the change.
You can get help,
you can give help.
That's the whole thing,
you can make your local area safe in terms of actually directly bringing on larger numbers.
I think that where we really shine again is communities,
existing communities So,
as I mentioned before,
there's plenty of groups out there that are for women walking each other home,
for women who want to take care of each other,
(15:29):
which are really natural points for us to say,
hey,
this is what our app is actually designed for.
Come on here,
we'll give you a community and you know,
not to give away the secret sauce.
That is pretty much our plan for,
for the rest of the year.
We're gonna be approaching several different groups at several different levels,
which is include just general community groups,
charities,
societies,
and sports clubs because we know for sure that and as well as coworking spaces,
(15:54):
I think as well.
So these are kind of um how I know that's a bit of an ambiguous answer but those groups of females,
that's,
that's really where the value comes from.
Are you find you finding that it is majority female or,
or is it also because you also advertise or brand towards LGBT as well?
I've noticed that you get that as well.
(16:15):
Do you get members from that community as well?
Absolutely.
I think what we really find is people really resonate with our mission.
It's very current,
it's very socialized.
It's very much in the,
in the woke stratosphere.
So I think people within that and I hate to say it,
but woke world really enjoy our product because they see the value in it and they see themselves being a part of it.
(16:36):
So,
yeah,
everybody in the LGBT Q community,
not,
not everybody but the LGBT Q community really resonated females really resonate and students,
parents really resonated as well.
Um That's kind of a big one.
People whose kids have gone away or people who,
you know,
I speak to you say,
oh my God,
I would have loved this when I'm 18 when I was 18.
These are,
(16:56):
or early doctors,
so to speak.
Yeah,
I imagine they want not track their kids but make sure their kids are safe so they want their kids to,
to do.
Yeah,
a lot of the time you speak to them.
And it's like,
well,
my daughter's on life 3 60 I'm like,
ok,
you'll get a notification if they die.
Like if they,
if they go off the face of the earth,
like exactly that,
that's how it is but it is in the,
in this industry.
(17:16):
It is that real.
It's,
you know,
whereas I don't know,
I like to think that I was kind of prep it a little bit more because you actually initialize yourself into that walking situation rather than it always being just a location.
So that's also another thing where uh it's all been seeing locations,
but you need actual activity updates,
which is something other apps don't provide.
(17:37):
Yeah.
And there's like there's a whole like halo of community effect here as well,
which you know,
is it is primarily primarily about safety.
But you've also got this whole incidental meeting someone you may share a lot in common with or like,
and it creates community for the last like a year and a half since the App Store came out.
People have been talking about like Tinder for friends,
(17:58):
right?
And it's happened so many times,
but inevitably it always becomes a dating site.
Um And that's not great.
And then people leave because that's not what they were there for.
I can see how this could be.
You've almost done the check up front.
You've got people who think similarly and perhaps walking home in a similar direction as well.
(18:21):
It could create friendships as well,
which are longer.
Yeah,
that's a huge part of it.
I think.
Um when we're looking at universities and like houses within them,
I've mentioned our communities,
but as well as circles which are user created are a big part of this.
So when you do find people who are of your clan,
part of your circle,
you can actually invite them in and have that benefit of seeing when they're nearby,
(18:41):
giving them that request,
when you need somebody.
Absolutely.
That is a huge part of this.
And as,
as you carry on using the app and gaining more connections,
your feed is just going to become even more in depth,
even more personalized.
Yeah.
So,
um so far,
you know,
you,
you started building this up yourself,
what has been the biggest challenge you've faced,
(19:02):
you know,
from a business or technical perspective in getting it off the ground.
I think lack of experience is a big thing.
Every time I think I'm doing,
experiencing what that's really interesting to,
to people starting out for the first time,
like experience,
you know what you don't know,
like,
that's the thing.
So like you can get,
I mean,
there's so many times where I've been like,
right,
we're gonna get this done for this,
(19:22):
this due date.
That was a mistake,
you know,
and it got to the due date and it wasn't ready.
And um you know,
it,
it's a lot of things like that.
The biggest challenge for me has been monetarily financing this,
you know,
we're not making money yet.
So I'm still,
I'm doing freelance work on the side,
which is,
you know,
not really desired,
but you have to pay rent.
And that,
that's been the big challenge I think for the longest time,
(19:45):
just trying to convince people was a big challenge of like,
hey,
it's my idea and getting it beyond.
That's nice,
you know,
so that was a big challenge,
but really moving the product forward and actually,
you know,
the product kept changing.
That's been the biggest challenge and being on my own and having to keep pushing it forward.
It's,
it's pushing a big boulder up a hill which has been a challenge.
Wales,
right?
You obviously came to Wales,
(20:06):
uh to study.
Tell me a little bit about like,
why you've decided to,
well,
why did you choose a Welsh University in the first place?
What you thought of Wales before?
What you thought of,
think of Wales now?
And obviously you've decided to stay here as well.
Tell me a little bit about that and,
and the thought process.
So 2018,
going back a few years now,
2080 hours deciding on universities.
(20:28):
And to be honest,
I was going for,
I can't even remember my second choice,
but I know I was going for Russell Group Universities and Cardiff was in and Cardiff did a fantastic software engineering thing.
They,
I mean,
they literally called the software engineering place the NSA.
Like,
how can you get any more,
like,
appealing than that?
So I remember,
I think 1 50% because I wanted to go 50% because I'm lazy because I went to Cardiff for the viewing of the university.
(20:54):
And I was like,
wow,
this is really cool.
And I went to the university,
they had hot coffee taps where it was like,
you didn't even need to use the kettle.
And I was like,
so,
ok,
I'm,
I'm going here.
Um And yeah,
I just found it amazing for me.
That was just more of a.
Cardiff wasn't too far.
Cardiff is a city but it's,
it's,
it's big but it's,
it's not too big.
It's much bigger than Falmouth in Cornwall.
(21:16):
And uh yeah,
it's,
it's fantastic to be fair.
So,
I just really enjoyed,
I remember one of the first nights I,
but those nights I was here I went to,
like,
a couple of the bars to,
like,
see what it was like.
And I was like,
wow,
this is so different.
And,
uh,
yeah,
it was that kind of like that blend between.
Yes,
this is a city but it's not London and it's not hectic and I can deal with this as a innocent cornish man this week.
(21:38):
Yeah.
I mean,
I mean,
I mean,
a lot of people stay the same.
So it is,
is kind of like the right size city,
I suppose in terms of staying in Cardiff because sorry,
I kind of got distracted.
I always say Cardiff is very ancestral.
Everybody knows everybody and if you don't know somebody,
somebody,
you know,
will know them and,
you know,
it,
it's just like that.
So I think naturally,
(21:58):
I mean,
starting a business here is amazing because things like tech startup academy introduce you to the world of people and it,
it,
it's,
it's not so big like London,
do you generally get to know everybody and everybody supports each other?
So,
I think that's very nice and I'm not sure if it's unique to Wales,
but it feels quite unique to Wales.
Like we're all supporting each other and,
you know,
we're a,
(22:19):
we're a bit of an outsider in terms of the UK.
So,
we're all kind of like,
come on,
let's,
let's get it.
Which I think is nice.
Yeah,
it's an interesting one because a lot of cities around the world have entrepreneurial communities.
Uh,
I used to live in Munich in Germany,
much bigger city.
And certainly there was a lot going on way more than what happens in Cardiff.
Right.
(22:39):
But at the same time here I can walk from my house to the city Center and I will see someone in our tech community who will just wave to me on the other side of the street and it kind of makes you feel.
So it's kind of like the mass of people,
the critical mass density rather than like the pure,
just number of people like London is very spread out many different things happening.
(23:03):
Certainly there's loads more people you can learn from there because there's lots more experience there.
But at the same time,
this kind of like supportive all in the same boat kind of community that exists in,
in Ikea Swansea as well.
But South Wales is,
is,
it's really helpful,
especially when you're starting out.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So it's good that you say that.
So do you think you'll stay in Wales with the business or will you go where the takes us to be fair?
(23:26):
We will always be true to the fact that we were Welsh born and bred.
We,
we are red because of the dragon and because of Cardiff university.
So that's actually where our company color comes from as well as a lot of other things.
Um So,
yeah.
No,
but definitely we're gonna be moving wherever we're taken to be fair because a random opportunity is,
is very large and I mean,
(23:46):
it'd be great to hopefully be like a massive unicorn and Wales selling that.
Right.
Oh,
we'll support you.
Definitely Wales will support you all the way if you're gonna do that.
Oh,
great.
Um How about non equity funding?
Have you approached or had any grants from Welsh government,
(24:08):
for example,
or Cardiff Council?
We've been very fortunate.
Big ideas,
Wales,
as well as Prince's Trust,
we've had some grants from and that's been really,
really pivotal in supporting me to just move this forward,
to be honest,
some of that has just been used to like pay for groceries,
but most of it literally,
most of it has just been well when I say pay for groceries,
paying me as a developer,
which I've been used to saving myself there.
(24:30):
Uh Yeah,
but really it's really helped us.
So a lot of that was used for marketing during the initial parts of our data which drove traction to our app which drove us beyond the news.
So really all of these kind of grants really helped us to get where we are today.
It's been really pivotal.
We've still got a few we need to claim which would be nice to get.
(24:54):
Yeah,
that's great.
That's really good.
And it's,
and,
you know,
I hear so many good things about the princess trust.
So many,
so many businesses started that way.
Another guy we interviewed on this a few weeks ago also had money from Prince's trust and it was pivotal in,
in changing his career from,
you know,
maybe apprentice to running a whole business which employs 30 people,
(25:16):
which is fantastic.
So,
what would your,
are your biggest asks now?
I suppose,
like,
look,
looking at the next six months,
if you could ask for anything from anyone,
what would it be?
Money?
I'd say.
Yeah,
we're looking really at the minute,
I guess we are looking for investment.
But the big thing is to really get our foot in the door of universities.
(25:37):
So I think our big thing is universities and bids across the company,
across the country.
Sorry,
that's really a big thing.
I'd love to have a chat with people who are either safe health and safety related in universities or within larger organizations within Wales or outside just to really strengthen our understanding of how our products can help and how we can further and really streamline our adoption process for these places.
(26:02):
I think that's the big thing right now as,
as much as it would be nice to say.
Yeah,
give me a million pounds.
That's not realistic.
So,
yeah,
that's a big thing right now.
Have you got a board?
Not saying we're quite or advisor or a mentor or a couple of mentors and advisors who are from big ideas,
Wales,
um and we've played around with getting people onto a board.
(26:24):
It's something,
it's something I need to do to be honest to get people.
It's,
it's been hard to identify key players who are gonna help us.
So we need somebody who's gonna be within the policing world to help us.
That's a big part of our app to be,
you know,
efficiently doing these things like stopping crimes,
which is what we are ultimately trying to do and prevent them and,
and identify them as well as for,
(26:46):
you know,
the actual feminine side of things of,
of female safety.
We need people on it,
but it's been,
it's been challenging,
I guess to find the right people.
But that's something we need to be focusing on and bringing people in to,
to basically get those outside opinions.
Yeah,
that we need,
yeah.
So I would,
I would probably recommend getting the,
like you've just said the skills that you're not strong at on your board.
(27:08):
So,
yeah,
someone who represents um minority groups,
female groups,
someone may be who would be your ideal client,
put them on your board.
So a university,
uh I don't know what team that would be someone like student welfare officer.
Um someone with it always,
it always does come back to the inexperienced things because I always feel like,
well,
can I do that and what do I need to do?
And these kind of things really get in the way of,
(27:30):
of my own,
my own progress.
So I always,
we're all,
we're all the same.
It's like imposter syndrome.
Uh startup founders is massive.
Uh But my best advice is just to ask and people can only ever say no.
So yeah,
there's no point spending hours trying to,
you know,
work out how to target and how to court them into saying yes,
(27:50):
just ask and see what they say.
Um,
yeah,
but I think,
I think,
you know,
I'm,
I love,
I love the idea when I first saw it.
I of course,
questioned how is it going to make money.
But I can see from what you've said,
if you get the right channel partners and offer the right service,
I can see it being possible.
So,
yeah,
it's really great to see someone trying to tackle this issue with actionable steps and with an actual product.
(28:15):
So I'm quite excited to see what you do in the next few months or years.
And I'm hoping that every student and anyone else who wants to use it will have this up on their phone.
Yeah,
that's great.
All right.
Well,
thank you very much.
Welcome to insider stories from Wales in Tech.
This week,
I'm talking to Jack Blundell from Root Buddies started while Jack was at University.
Root Buddies aims to make our streets safer.
(00:27):
Thank you,
Jack for agreeing to be part of Wales In Tech podcast this week.
First of all,
we're gonna start with the usual five questions.
What is your company called?
And what does it do?
Group buddies is the name of our company.
Thank you for having us by the way.
And we are the first safety app to allow people to actually help each other stay safe on the street.
So we're an app to find walking groups,
(00:48):
to find running groups and to share information with local members of your community.
OK.
So I think you've answered this question,
but would you then class yourself as B to C?
No,
both B to C and B to BB to C is a large part of this because obviously we need community members and a large part of that,
it's the public.
But B to B and the fact that we're going to universities,
that we're going to councils to try and roll this out on a wider basis.
(01:12):
That's where we see a lot of value.
Oh cool.
Ok.
And so what is this,
is this like a a business,
is a subscription model or is it premium or free or advertising supported?
Yeah,
so we're definitely a premium model.
So we we really like being in the ethical space where we're providing value for free.
But then we have the option to charge a little bit not too much because it's a safety app to basically offer more social experience through the app,
(01:38):
which is where we differ from other states,
the apps,
we have that community and the social aspect in there.
So that's where we're planning to charge for a subscription.
Are you looking for investment or have you bootstrapped so far?
So we've bootstrapped so far,
but we are looking to get investment on the table now,
especially we're bringing somebody new into the team,
somebody who's not a guy,
(01:58):
not a white male,
which is amazing.
So we're gonna be looking for investment bootstraps,
which I'm very happy about.
Great.
Ok,
so,
ok,
so let's move on to basically who you are,
where you come from or how you got to this point.
Why you started this business essentially.
Yeah.
Amazing.
So,
I mean,
I'm a 23 year old guy.
I come from Cornwall,
(02:18):
I come from quite a alcoholic family.
So I think that has always been a big driver to get the hell out of that.
And to get into a better situation,
coming to university.
I was always passionate about making something huge,
making the next Google,
making the next Facebook.
I had plenty of ideas about party apps and you know,
that was where my life was at at the time and it really came down to the Sarah Everard case and people sharing their experiences of,
(02:46):
of harassment on the streets that really started to reframe my mind about,
right?
How can we make something to help here?
So all of that kind of culminated into me making this app and carrying on with it,
going,
getting a job and working on it on the side and,
and yeah,
hiring on until we got to this,
this point.
Now,
which is nice.
What did,
what did this if I take you back then?
(03:06):
What did stage one look like?
You know,
you've had this idea,
you want to solve really perent problem in our society,
hopefully,
you know,
drive to make it safer for people to walk home at night.
But how did you get from that idea to actually putting pen to paper,
developing an app,
etcetera?
Yeah.
So I think the big thing was obsession.
I became obsessed with this problem and everybody I spoke to,
(03:28):
I'm a guy,
I don't experience problems.
So I would just speak to everybody,
my girlfriend,
her friends,
her parents,
my parents,
my sisters about what could be something to solve it,
which was very natural.
At the time because everybody else was doing the same thing.
People were setting up groups to help each other different,
different things within their family.
Whatsapp released a live location.
So this,
it was all very natural and it was just really a big obsession and the more I spoke to people,
(03:53):
the more things started to click and paste and uh somebody said one day,
well,
do you know there's a whatsapp group where people are walking each other home?
And I was like,
thing.
That's it.
That's a brilliant app idea.
And then from there,
it was really having to learn how to make the app and,
you know,
I knew how to make a website,
but I,
I had to go in and make the app so I could,
I could show you videos of the app a long time ago.
(04:13):
But even then it was a fraction of what it is now and it was very interesting cure.
And we had to,
you know,
I built part of the app and I'd show somebody and they'd be like,
but I can see that woman's location and I'd be like,
oh my gosh.
Yeah,
that's,
that's terribly,
that's the problem.
You,
you developing the app yourself then,
or were you your degree in applied software engineering from Cardiff University?
(04:36):
Yeah,
you said you said in your reply that you're a,
you know,
young white guy who hasn't really experienced this problem.
Do you think as you've been doing this.
It's kind of opened your eyes to all the different parts of,
you know,
society,
perhaps not just young women,
but also LGBT or all manner of diverse groups who experience abuse on the streets.
(05:01):
Yeah.
Absolutely.
It's,
it's been the biggest eye opening experience of my life is not only on the one half where it's the problem and the people who experience it,
but then the people who absolutely refute it who say it's not a problem,
they dress up a certain way.
It's been very enlightening to see both halves of the spectrum.
I think,
the more we've delved into it,
the more we've spoken to our like customer base and our audience,
(05:23):
different communities have different needs for safety and that's been really enlightening.
So that's the big thing.
You can talk to one person who says,
yeah,
I don't mind walking with guys home if they're safe and then you talk to other people who say the bipolar opposite and that's,
that differs in each,
um in each community.
So,
yeah,
that's been very eye opening.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So you,
so you,
I,
I've downloaded the app and,
(05:45):
you know,
I'm aware that as a white male as well and I'm,
you know,
6 ft four and perhaps look imposing if you didn't know me,
I'm aware when I was signing up.
Do I?
Should I even do this,
right?
Like who's,
you know,
I would,
I would think I was safe walking someone home.
But um you know,
is there any point to this?
So how,
(06:06):
how are you finding the people who are signing up?
Are they mostly in your target group or diverse mix?
And also tell me a little bit about how you,
you check them,
you know,
how,
how do you know that I am quote unquote safe.
So yeah,
the way we do this is,
well,
we're using tiktok,
we're using Instagram to kind of pump this out to as many people as we can.
(06:26):
But the big thing is yeah,
safety.
How do we check?
People are actually who they say they are and we have that a lot when we speak to guys like what's the point of me going on?
So this was a big transformative thing in terms of verification.
We take a picture of your ID.
We make sure that you take a selfie with your camera with your hand up and we make sure that you verify your identity,
that your details match as well.
(06:46):
And we've had multiple guys sign up with like bold heads saying that they're 19 year old females and it's,
you know,
it's,
it's quite easy to spot out as well as fake I DS.
So to actually access any of the,
the parts of our app where you communicate with other people,
you need to verify your identity.
But that's been the biggest problem.
How do we turn this into something that guys are gonna feel like,
(07:07):
well,
what's the point in me being on this to something where they feel like?
Right?
I need to be a part of this change and that kind of came from changing this from a uh let's walk together like an Uber app into a community app.
So now we're actually opening the door to having a men only community,
a woman only community and a general community,
which are already things we kind of have in there.
But going down this community route,
(07:27):
we hope that in the future,
we can also offer these communities to different minorities,
to different charities,
to different areas,
different universities,
if that makes sense,
like safe spaces for these particular communities.
And are they then just like forums like discussion boards or like,
are they basically like whatsapp groups within the app or are they a mixture of different things like awareness campaigns?
(07:49):
And it's a bit of everything really,
I'd say we're going for is hyper local,
either street information or hyperlocal request.
So what does that mean?
You will have access to a feed where you'll be able to see people's requests for saying I need a running body on Saturday.
Can somebody come with me?
But then also the app is used as an instantaneous system.
So you might be there at home and you might instantly get a request saying Jennifer needs somebody to walk her home from live lounge.
(08:14):
Can you help her out?
Uh but then there's also other parts of the app.
So our,
our prototype,
it,
it sounds really messy when I describe it.
But on there you've got everything from route avoidance.
So we're looking at the crimes from the police.
We're not just putting them on the map but actually helping you avoid those dangerous areas.
And uh we're taking some of the,
the features that really prevalent on the other safety apps that are really essential to somebody who's on their own and incorporating them.
(08:37):
So that even if you can't find a route buddy,
you have those,
those value valuable features as well.
But I suppose I'm going to then play devil's advocate a little bit just to get out of you.
Uh All these,
all these great ideas to solve unfortunate social problems we wish didn't exist often fail when they can't generate revenue.
(08:59):
So how does the revenue model look like?
Where,
where's the money coming from?
Is there affiliations?
Uh Is there a subscription charge?
Yeah.
So how,
how is it generating or going to generate?
I can appreciate they might not yet.
But what is the plan?
Yeah,
absolutely not generating revenue yet.
We really have been keen on having it free,
but the big big moneymaker is a subscription.
(09:19):
We know that parents of students and we know that students in particular find tremendous value in not only the safety aspect of this,
of having safety in numbers,
but also the social aspect of this.
But we see more value to be honest in places like universities where they have a responsibility to cater to their students,
to provide them with safety initiatives,
(09:40):
with the information,
they need to stay safe in a brand new city.
And we're actually going to be doing a case study through the summer with a,
with a university that I can't say the name of yet because it's not really in writing.
But yeah,
that,
that's the direction we're going.
And um yeah,
so B to C we really,
the big goal here is to do a bit of a Robin Hood thing.
We're trying to do something as free as we can and charge in the right places.
(10:02):
So for business industry districts,
that's somewhere where we want to go as well.
So that's our big money maker.
Hopefully we can get a lot of accounts rolled out to a lot of community members either in universities or organizations.
And that's where we really see this taking off because there's a responsibility on their behalf.
But then there's also our functionality which really aids the community members and can really bring them the positive,
(10:27):
the positive things that we hope to bring.
Yeah.
So how long,
how long ago did you start this mission?
I think I saw you at that pitch day probably about a year ago now.
So 29 2020 even I started this.
So 20 it's been about three years now.
Since starting.
And,
um,
yeah,
that,
that has been a while so quickly.
(10:47):
I know who's on your team.
So,
like,
what does the team look like?
Because you keep,
you say we,
uh,
and I,
I believe from your website as well.
There's a few of you working on this now and you've got a new hire coming soon,
which is great.
So,
yeah,
who's working on this?
And what do they do?
Yeah.
So we're very development heavy.
So we've had people come in and come out.
We've recently brought on our new marketing person,
(11:09):
Leo I say marketing person because it's a bit up in the air,
they might be coming on in a different role.
So that's,
that's one person who's really a big part of the team now and then it's myself and a developer who are working really heavily on the product.
And then we have a couple of videographers who are working for us as well.
So it's,
it's still pretty small and humble,
but we're growing.
And what I'm really happy about is these are volunteers.
(11:30):
So these are people who are coming in without a stake in the business who are really passionate and believe in me and it just,
it really fuels me to be honest,
it really helps.
Yeah,
you uh I said earlier,
you were part of a pitch program.
Do you think those accelerators helped in this journey?
No,
I'm in the Natwest Entrepreneur Accelerator and that one's absolutely brilliant.
(11:51):
I'm in this for six months.
I have free office space.
I have a community of individuals I can bounce off of.
I think that's really valuable.
What,
what is the most of it there?
Is it the people or the office space?
Because obviously,
you know,
lot of people like to work remotely.
But I know at the start of a business myself because I've done it myself,
that kind of coffee maker conversations are really,
(12:12):
really helpful.
Sometimes it's,
it's a mix of both.
I think having this network entrepreneurs who are all extremely passionate in one place,
you know,
and,
and as well,
we do have this routine every couple of weeks,
we go in and we have group sessions,
we sit down with people who are at the same level as us and we say,
what do we need to do?
What's the reality?
(12:32):
And then everybody goes around and says what they want to do.
And that for me is the most valuable part because I'm 23.
A lot of these people are like,
you know,
a lot older than me,
a lot more experienced.
And,
you know,
for me,
it's,
it's incredibly valuable.
Yeah.
So if one of those accelerators or even just the networks that you've been building turned around and said,
look,
we're gonna give you quarter of a million to build out this app and this whole ecosystem.
(12:54):
What do you think that money would be spent on,
you would be definitely spent on hiring our development team and marketing team to be in place five days a week,
uh,
primarily as well as trying to look at.
Well,
that's actually the big thing,
to be honest right now,
we're working myself five days a week,
other people,
two days,
three days a week.
So that would be the big thing to really drive up,
(13:14):
you know,
how much we can actually accelerate with this.
But then as well,
things like,
I know that micro influencers are a massive thing on tiktok right now and that's a huge part of growing.
So that's why I'd want to explore.
Um But generally I,
I wouldn't want to spend it all at once.
I think that's a sensible answer.
Right.
It goes,
it goes very quickly,
actually,
it's amazing,
amazing thing.
If you can get a few clients,
(13:36):
like,
you know,
by that universities or organizations signed up before you go for funding,
that's,
you know,
the golden ticket because it,
it proves the model,
you know,
it's much more investor friendly then.
So,
yeah,
I think it,
because you're coming up to the end of university,
I imagine.
Or have you got another day a long time ago?
(13:56):
Yeah.
II,
I graduated in 2021.
So I'm uh yeah.
Wow.
So you hang on.
Yeah,
I followed,
followed university.
I,
I,
well,
following university,
I got a job at Verise who you might know and amazing company.
To work for,
they were very supportive,
but I was always very honest with like this is what I'm doing on the side and they were super supportive.
(14:19):
And uh yeah,
it was only at the end of last year,
I decided to leave that role just to really this.
Oh,
that's great.
Ok,
so you're doing this full time and you're hoping to get funding so others can do it full time with you.
What about ways in which to get people signed up?
So you've got these kind of channel partners who are hopefully universities and,
(14:42):
and large organizations.
But what about like direct to the consumer?
How do you,
how,
what is the sell like?
How do you get uh maybe a woman who is 22 years old to sign up?
I think,
I think the big thing is there is a problem admittedly,
you know,
women aren't safe on their own and safety apps are still providing them maps where they're on their own.
So I think that is our big style at point and kind of bringing people in to be a part of the change rather than just having another tool on your phone.
(15:09):
You are actually being a part of the change.
You can get help,
you can give help.
That's the whole thing,
you can make your local area safe in terms of actually directly bringing on larger numbers.
I think that where we really shine again is communities,
existing communities So,
as I mentioned before,
there's plenty of groups out there that are for women walking each other home,
for women who want to take care of each other,
(15:29):
which are really natural points for us to say,
hey,
this is what our app is actually designed for.
Come on here,
we'll give you a community and you know,
not to give away the secret sauce.
That is pretty much our plan for,
for the rest of the year.
We're gonna be approaching several different groups at several different levels,
which is include just general community groups,
charities,
societies,
and sports clubs because we know for sure that and as well as coworking spaces,
(15:54):
I think as well.
So these are kind of um how I know that's a bit of an ambiguous answer but those groups of females,
that's,
that's really where the value comes from.
Are you find you finding that it is majority female or,
or is it also because you also advertise or brand towards LGBT as well?
I've noticed that you get that as well.
(16:15):
Do you get members from that community as well?
Absolutely.
I think what we really find is people really resonate with our mission.
It's very current,
it's very socialized.
It's very much in the,
in the woke stratosphere.
So I think people within that and I hate to say it,
but woke world really enjoy our product because they see the value in it and they see themselves being a part of it.
(16:36):
So,
yeah,
everybody in the LGBT Q community,
not,
not everybody but the LGBT Q community really resonated females really resonate and students,
parents really resonated as well.
Um That's kind of a big one.
People whose kids have gone away or people who,
you know,
I speak to you say,
oh my God,
I would have loved this when I'm 18 when I was 18.
These are,
(16:56):
or early doctors,
so to speak.
Yeah,
I imagine they want not track their kids but make sure their kids are safe so they want their kids to,
to do.
Yeah,
a lot of the time you speak to them.
And it's like,
well,
my daughter's on life 3 60 I'm like,
ok,
you'll get a notification if they die.
Like if they,
if they go off the face of the earth,
like exactly that,
that's how it is but it is in the,
in this industry.
(17:16):
It is that real.
It's,
you know,
whereas I don't know,
I like to think that I was kind of prep it a little bit more because you actually initialize yourself into that walking situation rather than it always being just a location.
So that's also another thing where uh it's all been seeing locations,
but you need actual activity updates,
which is something other apps don't provide.
(17:37):
Yeah.
And there's like there's a whole like halo of community effect here as well,
which you know,
is it is primarily primarily about safety.
But you've also got this whole incidental meeting someone you may share a lot in common with or like,
and it creates community for the last like a year and a half since the App Store came out.
People have been talking about like Tinder for friends,
(17:58):
right?
And it's happened so many times,
but inevitably it always becomes a dating site.
Um And that's not great.
And then people leave because that's not what they were there for.
I can see how this could be.
You've almost done the check up front.
You've got people who think similarly and perhaps walking home in a similar direction as well.
(18:21):
It could create friendships as well,
which are longer.
Yeah,
that's a huge part of it.
I think.
Um when we're looking at universities and like houses within them,
I've mentioned our communities,
but as well as circles which are user created are a big part of this.
So when you do find people who are of your clan,
part of your circle,
you can actually invite them in and have that benefit of seeing when they're nearby,
(18:41):
giving them that request,
when you need somebody.
Absolutely.
That is a huge part of this.
And as,
as you carry on using the app and gaining more connections,
your feed is just going to become even more in depth,
even more personalized.
Yeah.
So,
um so far,
you know,
you,
you started building this up yourself,
what has been the biggest challenge you've faced,
(19:02):
you know,
from a business or technical perspective in getting it off the ground.
I think lack of experience is a big thing.
Every time I think I'm doing,
experiencing what that's really interesting to,
to people starting out for the first time,
like experience,
you know what you don't know,
like,
that's the thing.
So like you can get,
I mean,
there's so many times where I've been like,
right,
we're gonna get this done for this,
(19:22):
this due date.
That was a mistake,
you know,
and it got to the due date and it wasn't ready.
And um you know,
it,
it's a lot of things like that.
The biggest challenge for me has been monetarily financing this,
you know,
we're not making money yet.
So I'm still,
I'm doing freelance work on the side,
which is,
you know,
not really desired,
but you have to pay rent.
And that,
that's been the big challenge I think for the longest time,
(19:45):
just trying to convince people was a big challenge of like,
hey,
it's my idea and getting it beyond.
That's nice,
you know,
so that was a big challenge,
but really moving the product forward and actually,
you know,
the product kept changing.
That's been the biggest challenge and being on my own and having to keep pushing it forward.
It's,
it's pushing a big boulder up a hill which has been a challenge.
Wales,
right?
You obviously came to Wales,
(20:06):
uh to study.
Tell me a little bit about like,
why you've decided to,
well,
why did you choose a Welsh University in the first place?
What you thought of Wales before?
What you thought of,
think of Wales now?
And obviously you've decided to stay here as well.
Tell me a little bit about that and,
and the thought process.
So 2018,
going back a few years now,
2080 hours deciding on universities.
(20:28):
And to be honest,
I was going for,
I can't even remember my second choice,
but I know I was going for Russell Group Universities and Cardiff was in and Cardiff did a fantastic software engineering thing.
They,
I mean,
they literally called the software engineering place the NSA.
Like,
how can you get any more,
like,
appealing than that?
So I remember,
I think 1 50% because I wanted to go 50% because I'm lazy because I went to Cardiff for the viewing of the university.
(20:54):
And I was like,
wow,
this is really cool.
And I went to the university,
they had hot coffee taps where it was like,
you didn't even need to use the kettle.
And I was like,
so,
ok,
I'm,
I'm going here.
Um And yeah,
I just found it amazing for me.
That was just more of a.
Cardiff wasn't too far.
Cardiff is a city but it's,
it's,
it's big but it's,
it's not too big.
It's much bigger than Falmouth in Cornwall.
(21:16):
And uh yeah,
it's,
it's fantastic to be fair.
So,
I just really enjoyed,
I remember one of the first nights I,
but those nights I was here I went to,
like,
a couple of the bars to,
like,
see what it was like.
And I was like,
wow,
this is so different.
And,
uh,
yeah,
it was that kind of like that blend between.
Yes,
this is a city but it's not London and it's not hectic and I can deal with this as a innocent cornish man this week.
(21:38):
Yeah.
I mean,
I mean,
I mean,
a lot of people stay the same.
So it is,
is kind of like the right size city,
I suppose in terms of staying in Cardiff because sorry,
I kind of got distracted.
I always say Cardiff is very ancestral.
Everybody knows everybody and if you don't know somebody,
somebody,
you know,
will know them and,
you know,
it,
it's just like that.
So I think naturally,
(21:58):
I mean,
starting a business here is amazing because things like tech startup academy introduce you to the world of people and it,
it,
it's,
it's not so big like London,
do you generally get to know everybody and everybody supports each other?
So,
I think that's very nice and I'm not sure if it's unique to Wales,
but it feels quite unique to Wales.
Like we're all supporting each other and,
you know,
we're a,
(22:19):
we're a bit of an outsider in terms of the UK.
So,
we're all kind of like,
come on,
let's,
let's get it.
Which I think is nice.
Yeah,
it's an interesting one because a lot of cities around the world have entrepreneurial communities.
Uh,
I used to live in Munich in Germany,
much bigger city.
And certainly there was a lot going on way more than what happens in Cardiff.
Right.
(22:39):
But at the same time here I can walk from my house to the city Center and I will see someone in our tech community who will just wave to me on the other side of the street and it kind of makes you feel.
So it's kind of like the mass of people,
the critical mass density rather than like the pure,
just number of people like London is very spread out many different things happening.
(23:03):
Certainly there's loads more people you can learn from there because there's lots more experience there.
But at the same time,
this kind of like supportive all in the same boat kind of community that exists in,
in Ikea Swansea as well.
But South Wales is,
is,
it's really helpful,
especially when you're starting out.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So it's good that you say that.
So do you think you'll stay in Wales with the business or will you go where the takes us to be fair?
(23:26):
We will always be true to the fact that we were Welsh born and bred.
We,
we are red because of the dragon and because of Cardiff university.
So that's actually where our company color comes from as well as a lot of other things.
Um So,
yeah.
No,
but definitely we're gonna be moving wherever we're taken to be fair because a random opportunity is,
is very large and I mean,
(23:46):
it'd be great to hopefully be like a massive unicorn and Wales selling that.
Right.
Oh,
we'll support you.
Definitely Wales will support you all the way if you're gonna do that.
Oh,
great.
Um How about non equity funding?
Have you approached or had any grants from Welsh government,
(24:08):
for example,
or Cardiff Council?
We've been very fortunate.
Big ideas,
Wales,
as well as Prince's Trust,
we've had some grants from and that's been really,
really pivotal in supporting me to just move this forward,
to be honest,
some of that has just been used to like pay for groceries,
but most of it literally,
most of it has just been well when I say pay for groceries,
paying me as a developer,
which I've been used to saving myself there.
(24:30):
Uh Yeah,
but really it's really helped us.
So a lot of that was used for marketing during the initial parts of our data which drove traction to our app which drove us beyond the news.
So really all of these kind of grants really helped us to get where we are today.
It's been really pivotal.
We've still got a few we need to claim which would be nice to get.
(24:54):
Yeah,
that's great.
That's really good.
And it's,
and,
you know,
I hear so many good things about the princess trust.
So many,
so many businesses started that way.
Another guy we interviewed on this a few weeks ago also had money from Prince's trust and it was pivotal in,
in changing his career from,
you know,
maybe apprentice to running a whole business which employs 30 people,
(25:16):
which is fantastic.
So,
what would your,
are your biggest asks now?
I suppose,
like,
look,
looking at the next six months,
if you could ask for anything from anyone,
what would it be?
Money?
I'd say.
Yeah,
we're looking really at the minute,
I guess we are looking for investment.
But the big thing is to really get our foot in the door of universities.
(25:37):
So I think our big thing is universities and bids across the company,
across the country.
Sorry,
that's really a big thing.
I'd love to have a chat with people who are either safe health and safety related in universities or within larger organizations within Wales or outside just to really strengthen our understanding of how our products can help and how we can further and really streamline our adoption process for these places.
(26:02):
I think that's the big thing right now as,
as much as it would be nice to say.
Yeah,
give me a million pounds.
That's not realistic.
So,
yeah,
that's a big thing right now.
Have you got a board?
Not saying we're quite or advisor or a mentor or a couple of mentors and advisors who are from big ideas,
Wales,
um and we've played around with getting people onto a board.
(26:24):
It's something,
it's something I need to do to be honest to get people.
It's,
it's been hard to identify key players who are gonna help us.
So we need somebody who's gonna be within the policing world to help us.
That's a big part of our app to be,
you know,
efficiently doing these things like stopping crimes,
which is what we are ultimately trying to do and prevent them and,
and identify them as well as for,
(26:46):
you know,
the actual feminine side of things of,
of female safety.
We need people on it,
but it's been,
it's been challenging,
I guess to find the right people.
But that's something we need to be focusing on and bringing people in to,
to basically get those outside opinions.
Yeah,
that we need,
yeah.
So I would,
I would probably recommend getting the,
like you've just said the skills that you're not strong at on your board.
(27:08):
So,
yeah,
someone who represents um minority groups,
female groups,
someone may be who would be your ideal client,
put them on your board.
So a university,
uh I don't know what team that would be someone like student welfare officer.
Um someone with it always,
it always does come back to the inexperienced things because I always feel like,
well,
can I do that and what do I need to do?
And these kind of things really get in the way of,
(27:30):
of my own,
my own progress.
So I always,
we're all,
we're all the same.
It's like imposter syndrome.
Uh startup founders is massive.
Uh But my best advice is just to ask and people can only ever say no.
So yeah,
there's no point spending hours trying to,
you know,
work out how to target and how to court them into saying yes,
(27:50):
just ask and see what they say.
Um,
yeah,
but I think,
I think,
you know,
I'm,
I love,
I love the idea when I first saw it.
I of course,
questioned how is it going to make money.
But I can see from what you've said,
if you get the right channel partners and offer the right service,
I can see it being possible.
So,
yeah,
it's really great to see someone trying to tackle this issue with actionable steps and with an actual product.
(28:15):
So I'm quite excited to see what you do in the next few months or years.
And I'm hoping that every student and anyone else who wants to use it will have this up on their phone.
Yeah,
that's great.
All right.
Well,
thank you very much.
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