A team of women at the University of Texas have created a four-in-one self-defense device they hope no one needs -- but want people to have in their hands if necessary.
The Pocket Punch combines pepper spray, knuckles, a flashlight and an alarm in one compact product that, yes, fits in a pocket.
Co-founders Ashley Raymond and Sydney Marvin say now is a good time to launch the product, even though students aren’t on campus. The product is available for pre-order at $39.99. Products are set to ship out this fall.
“Right now is a very important time for this product,” said Raymond, Pocket Punch’s CEO. “There’s a lot going on in the world. We want to get our product to people for peace of mind.”
The product started as part of a class project to create a business idea and pitch it. Pocket Punch took a year of development, and Marvin, the COO, said it’s the only four-in-one handheld device on the market. A classmate died in an on-campus stabbing the semester before, and a year before, a student was killed while walking home alone at night, according to the founders.
“We’ve had a great response,” Raymond said. “We’ve had several very interested investors. We’re trying to bootstrap as much as we can before we do decide to go with an investor.”
An engineering student, Marvin said prototyping took place on campus using 3D printers. She took a soldering class while developing the Pocket Punch.
The team is selling the device on its own website instead of promoting on other sites because knuckles are a tricky business. Some websites won’t feature the self-defense product.
