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Could this AI app change our approach to women’s safety?
Erin Rose, co-founder and CEO of Every Two Minutes, tells us how AI could revolutionise women’s safety and fight campus rape culture
Every two minutes in the US, a person is sexually assaulted – a statistic that translates into life-long trauma for hundreds of thousands of victims.
As many as one in five women in the US has been raped in their lifetime, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and more than 19 million women reported having been stalked.
No one exactly knows how big the problem is on college campuses, but one recent survey by the Association of American Universities found that around 20 per cent of female undergraduates are victims of sexual assault or sexual misconduct at some point during their college life.
MySideKick, an app developed by the New York-based tech start-up Every Two Minutes, aims to address the safety of women, LGBTQ+ communities and vulnerable populations on college campuses and in urban environments.
Here, co-founder and CEO, Erin Rose, tells us more about the personal security system, its features and how it could revolutionise women’s safety and fight campus rape culture.
Can you tell us a bit more about your background?
My degree is in telecommunications from Michigan State University.
I have over 16 years of expertise building social media followings and online community building, sales, advertising, marketing, branding, driving customer acquisition and loyalty, and guiding product development strategy toward customer needs.
My co-founder and Every Two Minutes CTO, Peter Dolch, is a veteran entrepreneur and has built numerous technology platforms for both start-ups and global enterprises. He has helped launch dozens of start-ups, some of which have gone on to successful exits and IPOs.
What inspired you to create Every Two Minutes?
My passion for combating violence motivated by bias runs in the family. My father has a black belt in jiu-jitsu and created a self-defence programme for women based on the martial art in the early-1980’s. His VHS tape was nationally distributed and thousands of women attended his seminars.
Erin Rose, co-founder and CEO of Every Two Minutes
I grew up acutely aware that the overwhelming responsibility to stay safe fell upon the shoulders of potential victims. No one at the time was tackling cultural change or getting to the real root of this problem.
Self-defence is not the way to stop violence motivated by bias in its tracks. Those were the analog days. We had limited resources and research at our disposal.
I founded Every Two Minutes because I know we can leverage next-generation technology to tackle the rise in violence and make the world safer.
How would you describe Every Two Minutes in a few words?
Our mobile app, MySideKick, is an AI-enabled comprehensive suite of safety tools that are specifically designed to address the safety concerns of women, LGBTQ+ and vulnerable persons.
MySideKick is like a home security system, but for a person. It’s a personalised AI technology that travels with you to keep you safe morning, day and night.
What makes Every Two Minutes different from other apps?
We make it personal: MySideKick caters to the unique individual needs and locations of our users, providing a comprehensive suite of safety tools that are specifically designed to address the safety concerns of women, LGBTQ+ and vulnerable persons.
Other apps are reactive, relying on manual input, requiring users to press buttons or make calls only after an adverse event has occurred or is occurring.
We, on the other hand, are focused on enhancing safety, so that adverse events don’t occur in the first place, and if they do, automatically respond in a proactive manner.
Our benefits include:
- Alerting you to what is going on around you before venturing out
- Directing you home on the safest route (not the shortest!)
- Knowing what bars and clubs to hit up this weekend, and which to avoid (based on our proprietary safety venue scoring)
- Detecting if you’ve been drugged and alerting your chosen contact
- Identifying locations, venues and routes with elevated danger levels, directing users to safer alternatives
- Providing instant assistance in emergencies – eliminating the need for manual dialling or button pressing
- Enhancing safety during rideshares and taking public transport
- Making “I made it home” texts a thing of the past. Automatically sending notifications when everyone reaches their destinations, regardless of whether they are using an iPhone or Android
- Automatically recording and securing forensic data in the cloud – your evidence, always protected
Personal safety requires multiple features that operate in different circumstances and detect different things at different times. One-off solutions don’t work because everyone needs a different solution at different times, whereas everyone needs one of our features some of the time.
As one of our beta users said: “I’m going to pick this over other apps because MySideKick is like eight apps in one.”
How do you ensure data security?
Our systems adhere to the highest standards of data security, avoiding the collection of unnecessary PII, encrypting sensitive data, and protecting internal systems behind state-of-the-art firewalls and other security measures.
What feedback have you received so far?
Our beta app was tested on hundreds of women on numerous college campuses across the United States 95 per cent of students and 83 per cent of parents said they’d subscribe for all four years of college.
We have also received unsolicited outreach from student organisations, and we are working with them to roll out MySideKick on their campuses.
Many of our student users requested that our app be available for them when they graduate college, so we are opening up MySideKick in select cities.
Where are you with the business now?
Our beta app launch and market testing has been completed and we are gearing up for limited production launch on select campuses and cities, and we are working diligently to close our seed financing round to fund continued operations, growth and expansion.
Where do you see the company in five years?
We expect to be fully deployed on college campuses and major cities in most english speaking markets, as well as have started to make inroads in other dominant languages and international markets.
To find out more, visit mysidekickapp.io.
Former US first lady Dr Jill Biden visited Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Imperial College London to explore work on women’s health and antimicrobial resistance.
The visit was hosted by professor the Lord Darzi of Denham, who chairs the Fleming Initiative and directs Imperial’s Institute of Global Health Innovation.
Dr Biden, chair of the Milken Institute’s Women’s Health Network, spoke about the impact scientists, clinicians, innovators and investors can have on improving women’s healthcare.
Dr Biden stressed the importance of “collaboration, prevention and education” in improving women’s health globally.
At the museum, Dr Biden and Esther Krofah, executive vice-president of health at the Milken Institute, heard about the worldwide significance of the discovery and the contribution of women who, during wartime Britain, grew penicillin in bedpans to support early experimentation.
The discussion also explored how AMR is a key women’s health issue, with women disproportionately affected in low and middle-income countries, and in high-income settings where women are more likely than men to be prescribed antibiotics.
Dr Biden was shown an architectural model of the Fleming Centre in Paddington, which will bring together research, policy and public engagement to address AMR worldwide.
The second part of the visit brought together Imperial clinicians, researchers and innovators for a roundtable on women’s health priorities, including improving diagnosis, equity in maternity care and support during the menopause transition.
Participants highlighted wide variation in the quality of care for conditions affecting women and called for fairer access to services, with the postcode lottery named as a priority to address.
Professor Tom Bourne, consultant gynaecologist and chair in gynaecology at Imperial’s Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, described how AI could improve diagnostic accuracy for conditions such as endometriosis.
Equity emerged as a central theme.
Professor Alison Holmes, professor of infectious diseases at Imperial College London and director of the Fleming Initiative, highlighted persistent gaps in women’s representation in clinical trials, including antibiotic studies, which limits the ability to optimise care and treatments.
Dr Christine Ekechi, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, drew on national maternity investigations to underline the importance of valid data, meaningful engagement with affected communities and rebuilding trust.
Menopause and midlife health were also identified as priorities for clinical research.
Professor Waljit Dhillo, consultant endocrinologist and professor of endocrinology and metabolism in Imperial’s Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, described a new treatment for hot flushes, including for women unable to take hormone replacement therapy, such as those with a history of breast cancer.
The discussion then turned to bringing innovation into health systems. Innovators shared how data and technology are being used to close gaps in women’s health, while noting challenges in accessing funding to grow and scale.
Dr Helen O’Neill and Dr Deidre O’Neill, co-founders of Hertility Health, described predictive algorithms using self-reported data to help diagnose gynaecological conditions at scale.
Embedded into clinical workflows, the technology could reduce waiting times, identify conditions earlier and improve outcomes. They noted how “we have cures for the rarest genetic conditions but don’t even have the answers to common women’s health issues.”
Dr Lydia Mapstone, Dr Tara O’Driscoll and Dr Sioned Jones, co-founders of BoobyBiome, outlined work creating products that harness beneficial bacteria found in breast milk to support infant health.
By isolating and characterising key microbial strains, BoobyBiome has created synbiotics, combinations of beneficial bacteria and the food that nourishes them, to make these benefits accessible to all babies.
Speakers throughout the visit stressed the need to reduce variation in care quality and outcomes for women, strengthen prevention and education, and address power and equity in women’s health.
Professor the Lord Ara Darzi said: “It was a privilege to welcome Dr Biden and the Milken Institute to Imperial to meet some of the outstanding researchers, clinicians and innovators advancing women’s health.
“Imperial’s unique combination of clinical excellence and world-leading research positions us at the forefront of tackling the biggest health challenges facing society and the UK’s ambition for innovation demands nothing less.
“For too long, the health needs of women and girls across their life course have not received the attention they deserve.
“By working together across borders and disciplines, we can transform equitable access to care, accelerate the detection and treatment of disease, and ultimately improve health outcomes for millions of women in the UK and around the world.”
Fashion, beauty and lifestyle retailers have joined the American Heart Association to raise awareness of heart disease in women.
The Go Red. Shop with Heart. campaign launched at the New York Stock Exchange on 30 January.
Retailers will ask for donations at checkout in February or donate a percentage of proceeds from selected items.
More than four in 10 women in the US have some form of cardiovascular disease, a term for heart and blood vessel conditions such as heart disease and stroke.
Heart disease and stroke kill more women in the US each year than all forms of cancer combined.
Brands taking part include Away, Commando, Lafayette 148, Michael Kors, Reebok, ShopSimon.com, Summersalt, Torrid and White & Warren.
More than 40 other nationwide retailers are also inviting customers to support the organisation this February through its Life Is Why campaign.
Nancy Brown is chief executive officer of the American Heart Association.
She said: “Nearly 1 in 3 women die from cardiovascular disease each year, yet women are still profoundly under-represented in the clinical research, science and medicine that could save their lives.
“Retailers and consumers are uniquely positioned to turn everyday moments into meaningful change through Go Red. Shop with Heart.”
According to the American Heart Association 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US and stroke is the number four cause of death.
The organisation projects that at least six in 10 US adults will have cardiovascular disease within the next 30 years and related costs are expected to triple.
However, approximately 80 per cent of cardiovascular disease is preventable through lifestyle changes.
Mindy Grossman is a volunteer board member at the American Heart Association and partner and vice chair of Consello.
Grossman said: “Retail has always been a powerful connector.
“Shop with Heart gives our industry a shared platform to lead with purpose and unite consumers in support of heart health.”
Milken Institute has launched the Women’s Health Network digital platform with Velir x Brooklyn Data to speed collaboration and investment across research, care and technology.
The new website creates a hub for members to share content, connect and coordinate projects, with branding and the first public Drupal build delivered by Velir x Brooklyn Data. A launch video premiered on 4 November 2025 at the inaugural steering committee and member luncheon in Washington DC, then featured at the Milken Institute Future of Health Summit.
Phase two is scheduled for February 2026, adding member log-ins for networking and content exchange. Phase three in April 2026 will add advanced collaboration tools and expanded community features.
“This launch represents the type of mission-driven, cross-sector digital work we are incredibly proud to support,” said Eliza Pare, vice-president of client services at Velir. “The Women’s Health Network is poised to transform collaboration in women’s health, and we’re honoured to help build the digital infrastructure that will make that possible.”
Chaired by former first lady Dr Jill Biden, the Women’s Health Network brings together leaders from industry, startups, investors, health systems, patient groups, academia and philanthropy. More than 100 members have joined, with a steering group that includes organisations such as the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Amgen, Deloitte, GE Healthcare, Merck, Microsoft, Northwell Health, Organon and others.
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