The founder-creator of the ground-breaking platform for Cypriot standards, Dimitra Andreou, talks about the functionality of the platform and much more information regarding its usefulness. She reveals that INSAVIOR is undergoing an upgrade and its new version is expected to be released in early 2024. 

The main impetus for creating the application was the tragic incident involving Sarah Everard in London on March 3rd, 2021. The 33-year-old Sarah was leaving her friend’s house at 9:30pm to walk on her own Within a distance of about 4 kilometers, she was abducted, assaulted and murdered by a male police officer, who abused his authority and falsely claimed that Sarah had violated some quarantine rules, given the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. This incident sparked a global outcry from women, reflecting the constant vigilance and feelings of insecurity in every step we take alone, whether walking, driving, or in various other situations. 

The incident deeply disturbed me, and its development affected me because I believe that every one of us has experienced the notion of having or wanting to walk alone, but the fear, insecurity and terror engulf us. 

Around the same time, the tragic experience of our international athlete and Olympian, Sofia Bekatorou, was revealed, prompting the #MeToo movement in Greek sports and the entertainment industry. Many people, predominantly women, shared their experiences of what they had been through or had experienced themselves. 

I was deeply moved, left feeling a tremendous responsibility, and the injustice was suffocating me. So, I conceived the idea that, being highly creative, could offer an immediate solution and create a safer tomorrow for every woman. 

Unfortunately, due to a lack of financial resources - since a considerable amount was needed to implement the idea - I couldn’t realise it. However, I managed to bring to life a part of the idea, the INSAVIOR application, which has been created with a lot of effort and study, and with the support of my family. 

The INSAVIOR application is an innovative application for women whose immediacy can save lives. It stands out for the combination of its services and the ability to network and connect among INSAVIORS in emergency situations, providing the option for immediate assistance to any woman who needs it. It’s worth noting that, so far, there is no innovation like ours in the world of networking. 

INSAVIOR provides an SOS button with 2 levels of danger: the High-Priority SOS, where a woman in an emergency situation can easily activate it through the widget and receive immediate help from nearby INSAVIOR women. Women will receive a notification with a map, navigation and their live location so they can quickly come to her aid. Additionally, a message will be sent to her mobile phone and emergency contacts she has designated, providing her location and a map with navigation, allowing her to alert the police and have her contacts come to her aid (a triple security pillar). 

INSAVIOR also provides the Moderate-Priority SOS (Companion Button). If a woman feels insecure, scared or unwell (needs someone to accompany her home, pick her up, etc), she can post a message and INSAVIOR women nearby will automatically receive a notification with her live location, map and navigation. 

Furthermore, INSAVIOR offers a self-defence video from a distinguished athlete and coach for the physical empowerment and safety of each INSAVIOR, which can be crucial in a critical moment. Equally important is the fact that INSAVIOR creates a community of women whose purpose is to turn female solidarity into action! 

• The selection of our startup among the top 5 startups of 2023 by the IDEA innovation Center of the Bank of Cyprus.

• The recognition of INSAVIOR by Microsoft for Startups as one of the top 10 startups for 2023. 

• The issuance of a certificate for an innovative business by the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy. 

• The nomination to represent Cyprus in the World Summit Awards (WSA) as the best and most innovative digital solution in the category of “inclusion and empowerment”.

The daily life and reality of a startup, especially in its early stages, consist of a continuous uphill battle from one mountain to the next. New challenges emerge, and occasional successes give you the strength to keep going. Knowing your ‘why’ and the reason you started, allows you to withstand any setbacks that come your way. 

The most significant challenge is to make your startup sustainable, while adding value to your service and customers, something that cannot be found elsewhere or that you can do better than others. 

IDEA helped me evolve professionally by developing a business mindset that I didin’t have before. With the knowledge and experiences from IDEA specialists, I improved my overall thinking process and my ability to solve problems that arise on the road as fledgling business. The most valuable gain from IDEA, apart from the financial support, is the networking. Networking with the entrepreneurial world, other startups, and people who share the same mindset, visions, dreams and the desire to succeed and contribute to society through their initiatives and projects. 

My vision is for a safer tomorrow for all women worldwide, a future where female solidarity works wonders, showing the way to light, harmony, and safety. 

The IDEA Innovation Center of the Bank of Cyprus is accepting new applications from individuals with innovative ideas that have the potential to turn into startups. Through its nine-month program, IDEA offers a complete support package for each startup to strengthen its entrepreneurial journey, including seed capital, business education, mentoring from established entrepreneurs and services in legal, accounting, marketing and technology. 

Applications can be submitted until February 16th, 2024. 

For more information, visit www.ideacy.net or contact IDEA via social media: @ideacy or by phone at 22 121844.