eorg iy Sek ret a r y u k
works in the jewelry busi-
ness, but not in the way
you might think. The
18-year-old Coquitlam
resident, who speaks
Russian and Mandarin
in addition to English
and his native Ukrainian,
also has Asian markets in
his sights.
Sekretaryuk is co-
fou nder of Cer i ng,
a wearable-technolo- y startup that
seeks to make women's lives safer by
letting them discreetly signal for help.
At the BCBusiness of‚ices, he shows
oƒ the „rst version of his company's
product: a small white gem with a
touchscreen on top. Inside are a bat-
tery, a BlueTooth chip, an
LED light and
an accelerometer.
Cering will probably sell its oƒering as
a bracelet and a pendant, says the self-
assured Sekretaryuk, the company's
chief technolo-y oŠcer, who recently
„nished his „rst year of computer sci-
ence and mathematics at
SFU. "If you're
a woman walking down the street and
you feel in danger, you can press the but-
ton three times," he says. "Through an
app in your phone, it will send your
GPS
location and an emergency call for help
to the local authorities and your key
emergency contacts."
The gadget—conceived by Victoria
Teo, who has since left Cering—is aimed
at female university students on campus,
where they face a relatively high risk of
sexual assault. Why jewellery? Unlike,
say, a keychain tag, it's an attractive item
that people wear passively, explains
Sekretaryuk, who expects Cering's bling
to retail for between US$100 and US$149.
"You want to wear it every day but not
have to call for help," he says. "But in the
worst-case scenario, if you do, it's right
there on you."
JUNE 2017 BCBUSINESS 39
At the BC Chamber of Commerce's first #TradeTalks forum, three young
entrepreneurs will pitch their export plans. Still in their teens, these go-getters
are already veterans of
YELL, a crash course in proving business ideas
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