Leash to connect South Africans to the Internet of Things
Leash is a device you attach to your personal belongings to keep track of their whereabouts. You pair the device with the Leash application on your iPhone or Android smartphone via a low power Bluetooth connection and are able to track the device's location or even report it as lost. Should your belongings go missing, the Leash device will talk to other Leash devices or users nearby, effectively crowdsourcing information about its last known location to help reunite the item with its owner.
Founder, Mark Allewell, says the Leash concept has already proven itself internationally. He's looking to white label the locally designed Leash hardware and application to allow South African companies to take ownership of the current gap in the market through their own branding, "Insurance companies, car manufacturers, even estate agents handing over the keys to new homeowners; the branding potential behind helping clients keep track of the things they really care about is limitless."
Keeping a leash on your things in a connected world
Allewell says he got the idea for Leash after realising the massive expansion of the Internet of Things in 2014, "We live in a connected world. Not only are we talking to one another, but our devices talk to one another as well. You can use Leash, for example, to let you know when the device leaves a certain location; pop one in your wife's handbag while you're at a restaurant. If the bag moves, you'll instantly be alerted."
Allewell has a wealth of experience after building several start-up companies including Tourism Radio, a technology hardware company in the travel space, as well as Zapacab, a taxi hailing app aimed at helping the local taxi industry take on Uber at their own game.
Ready for real-world testing
According to Allewell, Leash is ready for real-world testing, "We've got about 1,000 Leash devices ready for use right now and plan to get an additional 15,000 out into the field once we've got some initial user feedback." The final goal, he says, is to get the Leash technology embedded into everyday items; your keys will track your jeans, which in turn will track your favourite backpack.
Allewell says the anonymous location data they get back from Leash devices will also be used to benefit the community as a whole, "We'll warn users when they visit a high loss area, for example, so they'll know to keep an eye on their handbag a little bit more than usual."
Leash's closed beta will be rolled out in the next few weeks, with interested users in South Africa urged to sign up via the company's website.
