Author: Elizabeth Davis
In this episode of The Entrepreneur’s Chair, I sat down with trailblazing tech entrepreneur Jean Anne Booth, founder and CEO of UnaliWear. Jean Anne shares how her mother’s aging journey inspired the creation of the award-winning Kanega Watch—the first voice-activated medical alert smartwatch with 24/7 emergency response and built-in fall detection.
From her roots in semiconductor startups (including exits to Apple and Texas Instruments) to building life-saving wearable tech, Jean Anne discusses the grit, resilience, and purpose behind her entrepreneurial journey. This powerful conversation dives into aging with dignity, product innovation driven by empathy, and what it truly takes to lead with passion and perseverance.
In this episode of The Entrepreneur’s Chair, I sat down with trailblazing tech entrepreneur Jean Anne Booth, founder and CEO of UnaliWear. Jean Anne shares how her mother’s aging journey inspired the creation of the award-winning Kanega Watch—the first voice-activated medical alert smartwatch with 24/7 emergency response and built-in fall detection.
From her roots in semiconductor startups (including exits to Apple and Texas Instruments) to building life-saving wearable tech, Jean Anne discusses the grit, resilience, and purpose behind her entrepreneurial journey. This powerful conversation dives into aging with dignity, product innovation driven by empathy, and what it truly takes to lead with passion and perseverance.
Here are the top five key takeaways from my conversations with Jean Anne:
- Innovation Rooted in Empathy Jean Anne’s creation of the Kanega Watch was inspired by her mother’s aging journey. Her mom not only sparked the idea but also played a critical role in shaping the user experience—proving that truly impactful innovation often starts with listening deeply to the people we aim to serve.
- Designing for Dignity and Independence Unlike traditional medical alert devices, the Kanega Watch is discreet, voice-activated, and never needs to be removed for charging—addressing both functionality and stigma. Jean Anne’s focus was on empowering aging adults to maintain independence while ensuring their safety.
- Tenacity is a Foundational Trait Jean Anne attributes her success to what she simply calls “stubbornness.” Overcoming skepticism, technical roadblocks, and funding challenges required relentless perseverance—a must for any entrepreneur, especially one building something never done before.
- Silver Tech is a Growing but Often Overlooked Despite the massive market of aging adults, Jean Anne shared that venture capital often overlooks “silver tech.” Cultural biases and misconceptions about aging create barriers to funding, even when the demand and impact are undeniable.
- Impact and Return Can Coexist For Jean Anne, success is about both delivering strong returns to her investors and making a meaningful difference. With nearly 900 lives saved by the Kanega Watch in under four years, she’s proving that mission-driven tech can—and should—create measurable value and impact.
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