“I believe my dream of becoming an entrepreneur was meant to come alive but had never thought that it will come in such the most unfortunate way.” – Deepak Arora
Deepak (dee-puck) Arora (au-ro-ra) is the President and CEO of Wearable Technologies, a hands-free fall detection device designed for the most vulnerable. Arora is a Milwaukee startup founder, whose entrepreneurial spirit was discovered as an adolescent selling and purchasing comic books for his book club.
SXSW Pitch brings innovators from across the world, who make up various sectors of emerging technology. Of the eight categories, Arora pitched in the “Artificial Intelligence, Voice & Robotics” category – earning a finalist spot. The competition took place March 2023 in Austin, TX. In the following Q&A, Arora shares his experience.
What’s the inspiration behind Wearable Technologies?
We lost our toddler daughter in a drowning incident, and when we saw that no foolproof solutions existed in the market and that the numbers were nothing short of a pandemic, we made it our mission to solve this problem and help the most vulnerable population stay healthy and safe. That was our inspiration behind starting Wearable Technologies.
How would you describe your company?
A mission-driven, innovative, employee-oriented, inclusive company that focuses on helping others. Social impact is rooted to our core.
As the first MKE tech startup to present at SXSW, how would you describe your experience?
It was completely out of this world. The whole atmosphere at SXSW was electric and was a proud moment for Milwaukee’s Tech Hub and us! Pitching in front of the full room was an enriching experience and seeing our home crowd rooting for us was just amazing!
What are some of your biggest takeaways from your time spent at SXSW?
One of the biggest takeaways is that it is not about the award but the professional connections and relationships you make with fellow finalists and other professionals at the event. We made some of the best connections to date at SXSW, and we already know those will be lifelong! Another takeaway is not to get overwhelmed and feel pressured to perform. One last and most important one – listening to the assigned mentor for your pitch preparation is important but do not blindly follow the directions. If something does not feel right to you in the pitch, change it. It’s your story, so own it!
Is there anything else you’d like to share regarding your SXSW experience?
Overall, the experience was very positive, and it was gratifying to see SXSW selecting a small-town startup as a finalist. We can’t wait to see the next tech startup out of Milwaukee make it there and WIN!
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