When Michal Sela was stabbed by her husband at home in 2019, she bled to death in a 17-hour ordeal, despite being only a few steps from her phone. The tragedy was so horrific that it provoked a wave of angry protests across Israel.

It also, however, inspired another woman, Lee Sharir, to found an innovative AI startup to try to prevent such a needless death from ever happening again.

Sharir’s company, Relyon, began as a social initiative and has developed into a personal safety app that enables users to activate their phones using their voice, by calling out a password.

Once activated, the app sets off a string of predetermined actions, from calling family members to security hotlines, and even location tracking services.

It’s been a long and bumpy road for Relyon, but despite the challenges, the company has found its feet, developing a tool that can be used not only by women, but by any workers employed in environments prone to violence.

This is good news indeed and a perfect example of how innovation can be successfully used to help the more vulnerable parts of our society.