What is Pocket Punch?

Pocket Punch is a hand-held multifunctional self-defense device. The company was created by five female UT students. The mission of Pocket Punch is to empower individuals to take charge of their own safety. Pocket Punch is patent-pending.

Who are you, and what’s your role at the company?

My name is Ashley Raymond and I am Co-Founder and the CEO of Pocket Punch.

What motivated the creation of Pocket Punch?

Pocket Punch began as a group project my Sophomore year at the University of Texas. We were assigned into a random group and had to invent a product. Recently, unfortunately an on campus stabbing had occurred. We were all shaken up, so we sought out to create a product to help students feel safer both on and off campus. The class loved the product, and we decided we wanted to make it a reality. Now, graduation is a few weeks away and myself and another team member have given up full-time jobs to pursue Pocket Punch.

What’s your favorite KPI and why?

Performance is my favorite KPI because you can clearly see how the effort you’re putting in is paying off. These past few months, that has been the waitlist for Pocket Punch. This past month the waitlist grew over 60%!

What’s a fond memory you have of overcoming an obstacle as an entrepreneur?

Crowdfunding – as a team we were SO excited to launch a crowdfunding campaign. We quickly realized that many platforms unfortunately considered the Pocket Punch a weapon replica. KickStarted and Indiegogo won’t allow us on their sites so we took an untraditional route and went with GoFundMe. Our campaign was approved, we were up on their site for a week, we were trending and we were gaining features with local media stations. Then, without warning everyone was refunded and our campaign was shut down. Apparently, GoFundMe’s payment processor didn’t approve of our campaign. We were disappointed to say the least. To counteract this, we are now launching pre-orders on our own site!

Which local businesses or individuals inspire you?

If I had to choose one, it would be Capital Factory. It’s amazing to be in an environment with so many other entrepreneurs who are serious about making their dreams a reality. Sara Blakely is my favorite female entrepreneur, I’m obsessed!  

How are you getting networking done during the quarantine?

I’ve been attending Women@Austin’s weekly meetup via Zoom on Wednesdays. Additionally, the Longhorn Startup Lab class has provided additional networking!

How have you been keeping yourself busy during quarantine?

I’ve really been focusing in on our marketing strategy. I walk town lake and message individuals about Pocket Punch!

How can people get in touch with you?

They can visit www.thepocketpunch.com or follow us on their favorite platform @thepocketpunch