WHY MYFLARE™?

It was New Year’s Eve, 2010. I found myself wandering through the streets of downtown Atlanta after attending a football game. What I noticed was a massive group of drunk and raucous people ready to put one last exclamation point on 2010. I couldn’t help but notice so many different situations where people put themselves in danger; women walking through a back alley alone, a lost elderly couple making the wrong turn down the wrong street at the wrong time, or a group of naive tourists being watched by your everyday run-of-the-mill street hustlers. Suddenly I realized that I, too, might be in a precarious situation. I was lost, so what did I do? I whipped out my smartphone and immediately used Google Maps to get me back on track.

Then I thought to myself, What would I do without this thing? My smartphone has become my lifeline. I can’t bear the thought of venturing out into the world without it every minute of every day. Whether I need to find the cheapest gas prices closest to me or use the numerous discount companies like Groupon or Scoutmob to subsidize my food budget, this new “app life” has satisfied every thought in my brain.

So what would happen if I got into trouble that night amidst the downtown chaos? Would I be able to run to safety? Would I be able to find a police officer quickly? This got me thinking even more while on my couch the next day recovering from my rowdy evening. We all know 911 is the first number to dial in an emergency, but who should be the second person to dial or contact? And, what if you can’t dial a second time? What if you’re unable to talk at all? Who would find you at your location?

Well, as it turns out, there’s now an app for that! MyFlare™ will assist you in contacting the help you need to reach in the event of an emergency. It will text and e-mail your family and friends a customized distress message, while blasting a police siren and recording video of your whereabouts. It will even include your GPS location, and it will keep sending updates of where you are every three minutes. If your cell phone service is poor and the call to 911 can’t go through, your contacts can call on your behalf upon receiving your information.

MyFlare™ is a useful, relevant and potentially life-saving app that can make you feel secure and give your family members -- listen up, college kids! -- that permanent peace of mind. I’m sure we all can think of a million situations where this app could have been helpful, and we can probably visualize a time when we wish we had it?

Think about how many times you’ll waste a few bucks on unnecessary things in the next couple of days or weeks. For a similar amount -- $9.99 for iPhone and Android, to be exact -- you can get an app that will give you lots of extra security. Consider it a critical layer of support. It is the app that you hopefully will never have to use, but to know that it’s there on your smartphone? That makes your life safer.

-- David Kahn, Co-Founder of MyFlare™