bSafe

The Story Behind bSafe

BSafe founder, Silje Vallestad, is proof that tech knowledge and business experience are not needed to start a highly successful company developing cutting-edge, technology-based safety services. Sometimes the most important aspect is knowing what is needed, not how it all works, and having a big vision combined with the guts to dive into the unknown.

Your Mobile Has Always Been a Safety Device

Silje’s founding of bSafe stemmed from her own personal need to protect her friends and family. Being a young woman and a mother of three, she has at numerous times felt the need to use her phone for safety. Like most women, Silje has called or pretended to call her friends and family at times when she has felt unsafe while in the dark or alone. Although mobile phones have always been used for safety, using them has never been very convenient. As her kids are growing and becoming more independent, Silje has developed bSafe as a means for them to live life without fear.

The Kids First

The first entity Silje developed is Bipper- a parental control service for children’s mobile phones that includes both monitor, control, and alert features all within a single simple app on one’s phone. Bipper was great for parents and their kids, but it didn’t take long for the mothers to start calling Silje, telling her that they loved the SOS alarm and now borrowed their children’s phones and wanted their own alarm. It quickly became obvious that it was time to develop another safety service for adults.

Bipper then branched out and developed the mobile app, bSafe. When Silje won the Female Entrepreneur of the Year award and a cash prize of almost $200,000 (right amount?), the development of bSafe started. The first version of bSafe was launched in the Fall of 2011 in Norway and quickly hit number one on the Norwegian app store. With over 300,000 installs in Norway, it is one of the most used apps, highlighting the need for a smartphone safety device.

bSafe Has Saved Lives

With a wave of sexual assault cases hitting the capital of Norway, bSafe became the natural companion for many women. Users have reported that bSafe has functioned as an effective deterrent, scaring away attackers and allowing emergency personnel to arrive promptly. BSafe is also becoming greatly popular among men, as well. Many use the app while working or exercising alone. One user reported bSafe saving his life when he had an extremely severe hiking accident! Without the app to alert his Friends of his exact location, he is sure he would have died on his own.

Moving to Silicon Valley

After succeeding in Norway- a small country with 5 million people in northern Europe- Silje felt it was time to introduce bSafe to the world. She got on a plane with her husband and three kids (now ages 7, 10, and 13) and relocated to Palo Alto- the heart of Silicon Valley. In Palo Alto, bSafe has now set up an office and hired a small top-notch team to go from local to global. There is an exciting journey ahead, and with the new bSafe out soon, everyone is eager to share our amazing safety services with the world!