HabitAware, designer of KEEN, a bracelet that helps people control compulsions such as hair-pulling and nail-biting, scored at the top of 19 contestants during the semifinal round Wednesday night of MEDA's $1 million competition for minority entrepreneurs.
The firm, created by Sameer and Aneela Idnani Kumar, earlier in the week won the grand prize at the Minnesota Cup business competition. They created a bracelet to detect gestures and vibrate when it senses destructive activity. At MEDA, HabitAware received $15,000 for its top score and another $10,000 for being the top-ranked, female-owned company.
Who is the pilot? Who is at fault? What can replace shame? What is more satisfying than a BFRB? How do we organize ourselves? When am I allowed to pull?Featured guest: Ellen Crupi, Director of Awareness at Habit Aware
This post was kindly contributed by Aneela Idnani, Co-Founder of HabitAware.
"For more than 20 years I hid my hair pulling out of shame and fear of judgement.
Hair pulling actually started as thumb sucking as a baby. My parents and grandma did everything in their power to get me to stop – including handmade knitted mittens. My thumb found a way through those holes but eventually I stopped and graduated to hair twirling. Every night, I drank a warm glass of milk & twirled my hair as I fell asleep, all cuddled in my pink comforters."
Not sure which size is right for you?
It's important that Keen has a snug fit on your wrist. Here's a quick guide to help you decide which bracelet size to order:
Small/Medium
Fits kids and adults with small-medium wrists
min: 5.25 inches (13.3 cm)
max: 7.50 inches (19.0 cm)
Large
Fits adults with large wrists
min: 6.15 inches (15.6 cm)
max: 8.50 inches (21.6 cm)
Small/Medium
Fits kids and adults with small-medium wrists
min: 5.1 inches (13.0 cm)
max: 6.8 inches (17.2 cm)
Medium/Large
Fits adults with medium-large wrists
min: 6.3 inches (16.0 cm)
max: 8.2 inches (20.8 cm)