Denis Opudo
Samia Haimoua, one of the co-founders of Seon startup revealed that the idea to launch the startup begun as ‘an Uber for security’. The initial plan was a hardware-based initiative but not with the aid of an app. The startup idea sprang up from her personal experience of insecurity as she trod the city of Morroco at night. In one incidence as she recalls, she said that she kicked someone who was following her from the behind. She later went back to German to take part in the F-Lane. Thereafter, she featured at the Mobile World Congress with a working prototype.
Samia and her co-founders Turner, Löwe, and Plotz started the Securella Company. The startup managed to raise $500,000 funds from private companies. The private investors comprised of Stefan Kolle and Mark Miller among others. They re-branded the startup into Seon based on the feedback from South Africa. The move was to help them incorporate more products and services. They planned to sell their device at a cash price of R150 for six months plan and R250 per month.
The entrepreneurs chose Cape Town, South Africa over Morocco due to several factors. They included the good payment infrastructure and security threats in the region. The SA idea came from Plotz who visited South Africa some years back. Haimoua explained that they flew to SA in November 2017 to survey the market. In January this year, the four founders flew back to SA to install the app to security companies. The activated device operates by sending an alarm for help through the user’s mobile phone. The Seon Company promised the users a quick response rate of less than five minutes.
They carried out a pilot project at the Cape Town since it was where most of the murder cases were reported. Besides several murders cases, the town is the most violent in the continent. According to the Mexican Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice 2017 report, Cape Town was ranked 15 worldwide. The rhetoric quiz that puzzles most users is whether the Seon’s device will manage to curb murder crimes in SA.
