Iulia Rusu is a Product Manager with Psychology as her educational background. She is a full-time mother to a 7 months old wonderful boy, Founder of Safe with Kay, a product she launched while on maternity leave, which is designed to offer peace of mind to women, travellers, kids and vulnerable people.
Tell us about your life before the venture/ leading up to your venture?
I started working in HR, then building my career in Project and Product Management in different start-ups and start-up studios. Worked with more than 20 tech products, until I started working on my own. On every professional challenge I had in my life, somehow, people tended to be the center of my work, no matter if they were teammates, clients or end customers.
Tell us something about your organization. What is it about and how is it helpful for people?
Safe with Kay is a safety app, a no broadband, no download safety system that aims to give women, travellers, kids and vulnerable people peace of mind in any situation. It works only by SMS, so it can be used by a large number of people that don’t necessarily have access to up to date technology or smartphones.
What has been the response of the consumers towards your venture?
We are currently trying to get the product to as many people as we can, because it’s a product that can improve the life of a great number of people with the same need: to feel safe and connected with their loved one. People use the app while traveling alone, for work or for leisure, when going to parties or night time events, when sending the kids to school. It’s a challenge to create and build a product that has so many use cases.
How has your life changed because of your venture?
I feel empowered. To change behaviours, to push limits, to be more aware of my time and my team.
Give a motivational message for the audience/women who are reading this.
When I became a mother I understood that, as women, we can do anything. I know it sounds cliche, but we really do. We are blessed with a magical system that can produce life and maintain it, while being busy growing our careers, not to forget about social life as well. No one said it’s going to be easy. It takes time to accept that some hours might be about diapers and nursery rhymes, and the next one about taking your fancy shirt and pitching your product to a venture. And both of them are just fine.
