MechSE grad student startup takes first place

"Hey, we got the Oscar!" Ismail announced to the audience of more than 200.

Ismail, together with alumnus Timothy Deppen (BSME '09, MSME '09, PhDME '13), founded the startup company Servabo around their invention “Shadow.” It is a one-click device that interfaces with a smartphone via Bluetooth to provide personalized life-saving features, such as sending text, email, and phone messages to emergency contacts and services.

Servabo also won the top prize at the 2013 Cozad New Venture Competition, being chosen as the "most fundable venture" for their personal-protection technology.

"The original idea was to build a more effective pepper spray," Ismail said after receiving the Cozad. "We found that most people would like something by which they could call for help rather than something that is more offensive like a pepper spray. Something like that is still there in the background for us someday maybe, but we are more focused right now on getting people help quickly and easily."

Ismail and Deppen want Shadow to be very broadly personalized, both in terms of the situations in which it is used and the services that it provides. The button will be able to notify all desired contacts through multiple communication channels and activate additional safety features like an audio/visual alarm or locking the phone. Who is contacted and which features are activated can be tailored for each situation.

Shadow can be used in emergency situations such as an assault, or just uncomfortable and potentially unsafe situations in which pulling out a phone and dialing it is too inconvenient or conspicuous. It can even work if the phone is stolen, as long as the button is pressed while it is still within a certain range.

"It was just a project like anything else," Ismail said, "but the more we got into it, the more we started thinking about it and working on it, we thought that if we could even save one person that would be a great thing. And then it started becoming more than just a project, something more important, and motivated us to try something innovative that will have a positive impact."