Endurance athletes (runners, cyclists, climbers, hikers, skiers, etc.) often train alone without a smartphone or LTE smartwatch, leaving them vulnerable in emergency situations. Each year in the U.S., 112,000 runners and cyclists are admitted to the hospital due to injuries incurred while training (Department of Transportation). Additionally, a recent survey by Runner’s World revealed that 58% of women under the age of 30 reported harassment while on a run or jog.

Our mission at Zoza is to provide these individuals with the essential and affordable security they need while retaining the freedom to train unencumbered.

From market research surveys and focus groups, we identified a significant need in the market and understand how this product can fit into the lives of athletes. Survey participation from 244 respondents revealed that over 67% of individuals train without any form of communication due to the inconvenience and expense of the current solutions in the market.

Current market solutions are bulky and cumbersome and can be impractical to train with. The few smaller solutions are often exceedingly expensive and are not a budgetary reality for many. 

In contrast, the Zoza™ Beacon can be worn on a shoe, on a wristband, attached to a bike handlebar, or clipped directly to clothing - offering athletes the versatility to place the device where it's most convenient.

Many competing devices are littered with features (e.g. music, activity tracking, social media, etc.) that drive up the price and lack focus. The Zoza™ Beacon is affordable because it has been molded around the one aspect essential to athlete safety; a reliable form of communication.

The Zoza™ Beacon is a wearable and easily accessible S.O.S device allowing athletes to alert predefined emergency contacts with a simple yet unique button sequence. In the event of an unexpected situation (e.g. rolled ankle, dehydration, flat tire, etc.) the athlete can receive the level of help they need by sharing their current GPS location with their predefined contact(s).

Not only can the athlete alert an emergency contact of a transpiring situation, but they can also specify the severity of the situation and the level of intervention required.

The Zoza mobile application allows the user to set up and monitor their device, select their emergency contacts and manage their service subscriptions. Additionally, the app can be used by the chosen emergency contacts to check in on the athlete's location when the device is in use during an activity. During an emergency, the emergency contacts can see live details of the athlete's situation, communicate with the other emergency contacts, and send a signal to the athlete that help is on the way.

Funding raised through our campaign will be utilized for software and firmware development to drive the completion of our functional prototype. Mechanical and hardware development is complete and will require only minor iterations going forward.