Silicon Valley venture capitalists have made a confident move in European tech, backing Balkan-founded AI safety startup eNOugh with €2.32 million in pre-seed funding. This development is particularly exciting for female entrepreneurs and bootstrapped founders like myself, as it sends a clear message that innovation can attract global capital even from the far corners of Europe.
The startup, headquartered in London, is on a mission to address personal safety concerns using artificial intelligence. Led by Ina Jovicic, a Bulgarian-Croatian entrepreneur with first-hand experience of the pressing issue of urban violence, eNOugh aims to launch its first product in the UK in 2026. Here's a closer look at why this matters to us if you're a European entrepreneur navigating the tricky waters of early fundraising, especially as a woman in tech.
What is eNOugh?
At its core, eNOugh promises everyday empowerment against one of society's most persistent problems: personal safety. Their wearable badge uses AI to detect and respond to potential threats in real time. Equipped with sensors, a camera, a microphone, and emergency alert capabilities, the device not only identifies risks but actively works to mitigate harm through live-streaming and immediate outreach to emergency assistance networks. Imagine feeling secure walking home at night, a reality Jovicic herself was denied after facing an assault years ago, which inspired her to found the company.
For entrepreneurs like me who bootstrap and juggle multiple roles, I see eNOugh's story as both inspiring and practical. They’re tackling a real issue with a creative, hardware-based solution built for scalability. This reminds founders that identifying actual, painful problems is the starting point for building something that investors want to back.
Why Balkan Founders Make This Story Unique
Balkan founders often face additional hurdles in entrepreneurship, largely due to underrepresentation in global capital ecosystems. Jovicic’s ability to secure significant funding shows that barriers can be broken. It’s a testament to global VCs recognizing overlooked talent pools, particularly in regions like Central and Eastern Europe.
According to Techstars, less than 5% of venture funding in Europe makes its way to Central and Eastern European (CEE) startups despite the region’s high-quality engineering talent. Here’s an example of how eNOugh turned that trend in their favor:
- Problem-Driven Innovation: Their product tackles a universal issue, personal safety, which resonates across global markets.
- Clear Focus Market: By starting with London, the startup strategically picks a high-density urban area with demand for safety solutions.
- Diverse Team with Tech Expertise: The team includes engineers and data scientists with multi-national experience, leaving an impression of competency.
For anyone, and especially women, facing biases about coming from a smaller European economy, take note. eNOugh played to their strengths despite the odds.
Lessons for Female Entrepreneurs in Europe
As someone who has bootstrapped my ideas through sheer determination, I've often reflected on the habits and strategies underpinning successful startups. eNOugh's story has several teachable moments:
1. Anchor Your Idea in Personal Experience
Jovicic built eNOugh because of a traumatic incident. That personal emotional connection likely helped convey urgency to investors. As a founder, authenticity and conviction often take you further than buzzwords or abstract pitches.
2. Create for a Real Market Gap
eNOugh’s product tackles a well-documented problem. According to the Office for National Statistics, about half of UK women feel unsafe walking alone at night. Data like this strengthens your pitch by grounding your concept in reality.
3. Leverage International Connections
By setting up in London, a global tech hub, eNOugh widened both its talent pool and its visibility to Silicon Valley VCs. Think about where you’re building your business. Is it positioned to attract funding outside your home country?
4. Aim for Cross-Border Investors
eNOugh brought in backers like A*Ventures and others who had prior experience investing internationally. As a founder, relationships matter. Start building those connections today, even if you’re working on a micro-budget.
Avoid These Common Mistakes
Sometimes, we founders learn more from failures than successes. To avoid common issues, here’s what not to do:
- Pitch without Data: If Jovicic hadn’t incorporated safety statistics, her idea might have appeared ungrounded.
- Focus Only Locally: A narrow focus can make the idea feel small. International markets add scale to your vision.
- Underinvest in Communication: eNOugh’s strong founding story undoubtedly left an impression. Founders often downplay storytelling, but it’s vital.
AI, Safety, and the Future
The rise of safety-focused AI wearables marks a shift in how tech solves fundamental societal problems. Urban safety is a growing concern globally, and solutions like eNOugh signal the increasing role of AI outside purely digital applications. Cities worldwide may soon adopt tech-driven safety measures as part of their broader infrastructure.
For bootstrapped and female founders in Europe eyeing competitive industries like AI or hardware, remember this: eNOugh proves it’s possible to attract world-class VC attention by solving real and pressing problems. Keep your story clear, align it with relatable pain points, and ensure you pitch with momentum.
Final Takeaway
eNOugh’s funding success validates the global potential of businesses coming from unexpected corners. As an entrepreneur myself who juggles family duties with operating startups like Fe/male Switch, I often face moments of doubt. But seeing clear examples like this proves that perseverance, combined with a good problem-solving idea, can break barriers.
To my fellow European founders, particularly women: we live in an era where venture opportunities exist far beyond traditional hubs like Silicon Valley. Let’s show the world what a bootstrapping founder’s determination looks like when paired with bold ideas. You may not close €2.32 million tomorrow, but who says you can’t start today?
FAQ
1. What is eNOugh?
eNOugh is a startup developing an AI-powered wearable safety badge designed to detect and respond to personal safety threats in real-time. The badge includes sensors, a camera, microphone, and emergency alert capabilities. Learn more about eNOugh
2. Who founded eNOugh?
eNOugh was founded by Ina Jovicic, a Bulgarian-Croatian entrepreneur who experienced urban violence firsthand. Her personal experience motivated her to create the safety-focused startup.
3. How much funding has eNOugh raised?
eNOugh recently secured €2.32 million in pre-seed funding, with backing from Silicon Valley VCs, including lead investor A*Ventures. Explore the funding announcement
4. What problem does eNOugh aim to solve?
eNOugh addresses personal safety concerns, particularly for urban environments, using AI technology to detect potential threats and coordinate immediate emergency responses. Learn more about their mission
5. When will eNOugh's product launch?
eNOugh plans to launch its AI-powered wearable safety badge in the UK market in 2026, starting with areas where urban safety concerns are high.
6. Why is eNOugh’s story significant for European entrepreneurs?
The success of eNOugh demonstrates that startups, even from lesser-represented regions like the Balkans, can attract global venture capital by solving real problems and leveraging innovative technology. Explore insights for European entrepreneurs
7. What makes eNOugh’s funding significant for Balkan founders?
eNOugh’s success highlights the increasing attention global VCs are paying to underrepresented regions like Central and Eastern Europe, showcasing the potential for startups from these areas to break into global markets.
8. How does eNOugh compare to other wearable safety solutions?
Unlike other wearable safety devices, eNOugh incorporates multimodal AI, combining sensors, live-streaming, and emergency outreach capabilities, providing comprehensive safety features.
9. Who are the investors backing eNOugh?
eNOugh's funding round was led by A*Ventures, with support from Comma Capital, Karman Ventures, Intuition VC, and other angel investors. Discover A*Ventures
10. How can female entrepreneurs learn from eNOugh’s journey?
eNOugh’s story offers valuable lessons, including anchoring ideas in personal experiences, solving real market gaps, leveraging international networks for visibility, and targeting cross-border investors. These strategies can inspire and guide female entrepreneurs.
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
- Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
- Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
- AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
- SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
- Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
- Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
- 5,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
- 100+ startup tools built
- 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
- 1,000 unique business ideas for women created
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.
