About Us
Maggie and Renae met in Houston, Texas as elementary school classmates. Bonded by a love for art, our Beanie Boos, and fashion, they quickly became the closest of friends.
However, as two young girls with protective parents and adventurous spirits, they grew indignant about the limitations set on them as girls. Therefore, together, in high school, they developed a women's self-defense keychain that brings safety on-the-go. Their idea became so successful that they won fifth place in a national social innovation challenge.
Maggie Lu
Artemis CEO & Co-Founder
NYU Interactive Media Arts Student
Renae Wang
Artemis CPO & Co-Founder
USC Arts, Technology, and Business of Innovation Student
This idea faded into the background as Maggie set off to New York and Renae to California for college. It was not until the winter of 2025 when they reunited back in their hometown Houston that Maggie brought up their high school ventures again. After repeated discussions, they realized that none of the women safety gadgets were items they would use, if they even worked at all. Additionally they noticed existing products were bulky or had high cost barriers. And with recent regressions in laws and regulations surrounding women's rights, they realized a new women's safety system needed to be developed, now.
This is when they realized that their idea back in high school wasn't just a safety product, but the beginning of a movement to take back freedom. So then they embarked on their mission that fuels everything they've been working on:
To empower women with safety and, by consequence, their freedom.