International Women’s Day, which took place this Sunday, the 8th of March, celebrates the achievements of women throughout history and the progress they have made in achieving equal rights to men, socially, culturally and economically.
2026 marks an incredible milestone: 115 years of International Women’s Day. Those 115 years have seen many important advances for women; however, there is still a long way to go. Women still face discrimination, lack of representation and disadvantages across many areas of daily life, such as in the workplace, in healthcare and in their relationships.
In acknowledgement of IWD, we will be showcasing an inspiring client who are improving women’s quality of life through scientific innovation. At Mathys & Squire, we are proud to have the opportunity to not only help our clients to protect their inventions but also support them in an entrepreneurial journey which will have a wider positive impact on society.
Epowar – Women’s Safety App
Epowar was founded in 2020 by University of Bath students, E-J Roodt and Maks Rahman, driven by the need to transform women’s safety and enable them to live their lives free from fear.
The rate of femicide has remained consistent for the last decade, with one woman killed in the UK every three days, and Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) was declared a national emergency in 2024. It is no surprise that girls and women are raised to be on constant alert. “Don’t walk back on your own.” “Don’t go on a run at night.” “Don’t forget to text me when you are home”. Most men wouldn’t give a walk home from the station at 10pm a second thought, but, for women, it is twenty minutes of unease and agitation, or something to be avoided completely. If something does happen, you can call the police on your phone, but what if it is not to hand? You can activate a rape alarm, but what if there is no one there to hear it?
Instead, Epowar’s patented ‘Automatic Attack Detection’ technology connects to your smartwatch, harnessing AI, and tracking your heart rate and motion to automatically recognise when you are in danger. If an attack is detected, the Epowar app gives you quick and easy access to 999, and sends an automatic notification to your friends so they can call for help if you are unable to.
Another feature of the technology is the ‘Evidence Pack’: a cache of evidence stored in the cloud, including audio, location and time stamps, can be accessed even if the phone is stolen or destroyed.
“Epowar exists because every woman has a story,” says founder, E-J. Whilst 97% of women in the UK have been harassed or assaulted, the percentage of women who press charges is significantly smaller, and the percentage of charges which end in conviction is even smaller. With concrete evidence, Epowar empowers women to take the brave step towards reporting the crime and, ultimately, helping protect other women as well as themselves.
“It has been a privilege to support Epowar through the entire patenting process for their attack detection technology, and we are proud to share that they were recently granted a UK patent.”
William Wathey, Associate
“Running Epowar has been an incredible experience, and having our attack detection patents approved in the UK and US were two of the biggest highlights of the journey so far. We set out to create something innovative to empower women to feel safe while they move through the world, and we believe now more than ever that tech will play a powerful role in tackling this global crisis.”
E-J Roodt, Founder of Epowar
Visit Epowar’s website to learn more here.
