UnaliWear, Inc.

Mission

To help seniors and other vulnerable populations remain independent and feel comfortable being active and mobile for as long as possible.

History

Jean Anne Booth thought she was sailing into the sunset. She’d spent 30 years working in semiconductors and had sold businesses to Apple and Texas Instruments. But while working for a scuba diving outfit off the coast of Florida, an idea burrowed into her head and wouldn’t leave. In the end, it was her own mother who pulled her back to shore and into business.

Booth observed her elderly mother, and saw the vulnerability that old age can bring. She noted that traditional medical alert systems are both ugly and socially stigmatizing, so many people avoid getting much-needed medical alert systems. As a result, many don’t receive the care they need at critical moments.

Faced with this challenge, Booth set out on a mission to create a smartwatch that can give vulnerable populations greater independence. Her company, UnaliWear, has created the Kanega watch that uses Artificial Intelligence to learn the wearer’s lifestyle, providing predictive, pre-emptive support for changes in motion, speech, and activity level. Until her mother passed away in late 2018, Booth continued to run every prototype by her mother to make sure her tech made sense in the real world. These days, UnaliWear’s volunteer UX testers fill that role.

Products & Services Provided

A medical alert smartwatch called the Kanega Watch.

Interesting Facts

Unalii means “friend,” and Kanega means “speak” in the Cherokee Native American language. So our company aspires to be “the friend that speaks” to you and helps you stay independent with dignity.