The idea didn’t come from a boardroom, a hackathon or a sudden burst of inspiration.
It came from fear.
Over the past few years, the rising crime rate around us has become impossible to ignore. News reports, social media posts, personal stories from friends and family; each one added another layer of anxiety. I found myself constantly thinking about safety.. The safety for my son...What happens if someone is in danger? What if help doesn’t arrive in time? Why does it still feel so difficult to act quickly during emergencies?
That’s when a thought kept returning to me,there has to be a better way.
Instead of letting the fear sit quietly in my mind, I decided to turn it into a plan. I began mapping out a solution.It was something practical, accessible and focused on real life emergencies. I wasn’t trying to build the next flashy tech trend but I wanted to build something that could genuinely help people feel safer.
Slowly, the idea took shape and features were planned.Eventually I reached a point where I believed that this idea is worth sharing and it’s worth trying.
Submitting the idea to Cradle was a huge step for me. It wasn’t just an application.It felt like putting my concerns, hopes and late night thinking onto paper for someone else to judge.
When I received the news that my idea was selected for pitching , I was genuinely excited. It felt validating. Someone saw potential and thought this idea was worth listening to.
I prepared thoroughly. I refined my pitch. The last time I put hours of effort was in med school.
Pitching was nerve wracking but fulfilling. I shared the story behind the idea, the problem it aimed to solve and the vision for the future. When it ended, I felt relieved and hopeful.
Then came the waiting.
Days passed. I checked emails more often than I’d like to admit. I replayed the pitch in my head, wondering what I could have explained better or emphasized more within that 5 minutes time period.
And then the response came on Monday.
The idea was rejected.
There’s no dramatic way to say it.It hurt. Not just because of the rejection itself but because of what the idea represented. It wasn’t just a business proposal; it was born from a genuine concern for safety and community.
For a moment, it felt like the door had closed completely. But after sitting with the disappointment, something became clear.
Rejection does not mean the problem doesn’t exist.
Rejection does not mean the idea has no value.
And rejection certainly does not mean the journey ends here.
This experience taught me that building something meaningful is rarely a straight path. Sometimes, the first “no” is simply part of shaping a stronger “yes” later.I still believe safety is something worth building for. And I still believe that one rejection does not define an idea or a person.
This was not the ending I imagined but it is part of the story. And stories like this don’t end at rejection but they evolve.
If anything this journey reminded me why I started in the first place.
And that reason hasn’t changed.
I took a short break from work and went on a holiday to overcome the disappointment. That time away gave me space to breathe, reflect and think clearly again. I used it to revisit my plans and reorganize my thoughts.
When I came back, I decided to try building everything on my own, keeping the cost as minimal as possible. But I quickly realized that IT is a whole new world for me and it’s not as easy as it looks. Still, I haven’t given up.
I truly hope that the right person, opportunity or kind of support will come along soon to help me accomplish what I started.
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