*Losing something important – car keys, cell phone, computer, wallet – can do more than ruin your day if not found quickly or at all. So, now there is Gotcha, a new GPS tracking device, that will help keep your life in order and your mind at ease.
Officially launched in October 2019, the device which, you can buy now, is the first product released from Taylor Baloney’s tech startup, Find My Everything, Inc., The EUR caught up with Baloney in a recent phone interview and she explained what Gotcha is all about.
“It’s actually a physical device and it works with an app,” Baloney said. “So, you would hook it on to whatever you want to trace – yourself, purse, or backpack. Then you would sync it to the app (that uses) GPS technology to find whatever you want. It uses real time tracking, meaning you can see where (an item) is going.”
She continued, “Another feature for safety is the SOS button. So, if somebody is in distress, they can press the button and it will send a direct single to the number that is programmed with the device. You can also listen in to wherever that person is. You can also set up a perimeter and if a person goes out of that range, you would get a signal.”
Ironically, Baloney was born and raised in San Jose/Milpitas, California, which is in the heart of the Silicon Valley. Unlike many who would do anything to live in the storied tech area, Baloney left in 2011 to attend St. John’s University in Queens, New York.
After graduating in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in business management, she became a flight attendant at a small airline. The experience of losing her cellphone on one of her flights is what brought her back to the Silicon Valley to start her own tech company.
“I put (my cell phone) in the wrong bag,” said Baloney. “When we landed, I was looking all over for it. I thought someone stole my phone and used ‘find my iPhone’ to find it. The time a woman responded to the signal, she was in another state. She FedEx’d it to me the next day and I thought, ‘Wow, if it wasn’t for this technology, I would have never gotten my phone back.’”
“Then I realized that people lose so many other important things then just phones – like backpacks, purses, and briefcases,” Baloney added. “So, I thought it would be a cool idea to create something that people could use to find all their missing items. Then it grew into much more – finding people, especially with what’s going on with human trafficking and missing children.”
Working in tech and in the Silicon Valley as a black person is not an easy feat. Dismal numbers in recent years paint the hurdles for black folks in the industry. While Baloney had an edge because she is from the area, she still had to work hard to get her startup off the ground.
“I’m really good at researching,” Baloney said. “And being in Silicon Valley helped speed up the process. Being around engineers, investors, other startup founders and receiving advice and guidance really helped me.”
“She continued, “I was also in the CSI Technology Incubator and graduated from Founder Gym, a program that helps minorities learn what it takes to receive venture capitalist funding. So, I put myself in different programs and surrounded myself around people that I knew could really help me and push me to where I am now.”
Baloney’s entrepreneurial spirit comes from her mother, Colette Choates. At just 15, Baloney and her mother had their own project management company and Baloney also sold term life insurance and annuities. Now her mother is Find My Everything’s Chief Marketing Officer.
“I can trust her and I know she will always be there for me and have my back,” said Baloney. “Sometimes we clash but the good outweighs the bad. And I am blessed to have her helping me. I love having her expertise with over 30 years of marketing and branding experience.”
Taylor Baloney is currently partnering with companies to use her Gotcha GPS tracking device to help stamp out human tracking. She also plans to launch additional wearable tech items that can help people in a variety of areas. To buy Gotcha and/or to find out more about Baloney and her company, go to her website here.
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