WiSP is a wellness and safety consumption platform designed to provide real-time awareness. Pulse 2.0 interviewed WiSP co-founder and CEO Liat Kaplan to gain a deeper understanding of the platform.
Liat Kaplan’s Background
Could you tell me more about your background? Kaplan said:
“I began my career at Tnuva, Israel’s largest food corporation, where I served as a Senior Business Analyst in the company’s Business Development & Strategy department, focusing on open innovation and cross-industry partnerships. From there, I expanded my expertise to global markets, working with major retailers across Europe, North America, and Asia. Eventually, my career path led me to SodaStream, where I led the company’s product innovation efforts during a pivotal growth phase.”
“I also worked for Believer Meats, a pioneer in the cultivated meat industry, as VP of Marketing, and I’ve always been fascinated by people—the way they think, what drives their choices—and I found my passion early on in marketing, particularly when it came to innovation. For me, innovation is the perfect intersection of curiosity, creativity, and impact. It allows me to take something deeply human—like how we socialize or what we consume—and find new ways to improve it. All this to say, I combined my deep knowledge of product innovation, commercialization, and consumer behavior with a mission-driven approach to solving real-world problems. Meet WiSP – a company dedicated to revolutionizing safe consumption through cutting-edge technology and consumer-first design.”
“As CEO of WiSP, I set the vision and strategy, build and lead the right teams, and ensure we stay deeply connected to both our users and the market. I’m also responsible for investor relations, fundraising, and shaping our go-to-market approach. Additionally, I’m hands-on with product development and forming early partnerships, especially with stakeholders in nightlife, campus culture, and youth safety. Lastly, I work closely with our PR team to ensure messaging is on point and aligned for all earned media coverage.”
Favorite Memory
What has been your favorite memory working for the company so far? Kaplan reflected:
“One unforgettable moment was seeing three girls at a party clapping their hands when the device light turned green, and their app notification said, ‘We’re safe.’ One of them yelled, ‘THIS IS SO COOL! That really struck me; this is an empowering, positive experience, not something to hide or fear. It perfectly captures what we’re building with WiSP. Another time, when I was giving a demo, a well-known 65-year-old man approached me and said, ‘This happened to me, too.’ That moment stayed with me. It was a reminder that harm doesn’t discriminate and that solving this isn’t just about data—it’s about empathy.”
Core Products
What are the company’s core products and features? Kaplan explained:
“WiSP is the first wellness and safety consumption platform designed to provide real-time awareness. Our patent-pending technology currently detects drugs commonly used in drink tampering, and we’re currently in the process of adding detection for alcohol and sugar levels. WiSP includes a device, a reusable sampler, and an app, combining expertise in consumer understanding, chemical engineering, and electro-optics to revolutionize safe consumption. The device pairs seamlessly with our app, which provides connectivity, real-time alerts, user feedback, and educational insights—all designed to empower users in social settings.”
“In the future, we plan to expand our capabilities to include more substances and materials, with future applications focused on detecting contaminants and hidden dangers in a wide range of substances. By starting with drink spiking and evolving into a wider platform for safe consumption, as well as health and wellness, WiSP plans to expand its detection capabilities to revolutionize how people consume. WiSP will monitor and provide helpful information on everything from drink consumption to allergens, workout regimens, and more.”
Challenges Faced
Have you faced any challenges in your sector of work recently, and how did you overcome those challenges? Kaplan acknowledged:
“Absolutely! One of the biggest challenges we’ve faced is navigating investor reservations around direct-to-consumer (B2C) hardware, especially in an early-stage startup context. Many investors are cautious about B2C models due to historically high burn rates, complex logistics, and the perception that consumer adoption—especially in hardware—can be slow and expensive.”
“We addressed this by focusing on finding the right investors—those who are not only comfortable with hardware, but who truly believe in the behavioral shift that’s currently happening with hardware. At WiSP, we’re tapping into the broader wearables revolution, where people are increasingly eager to engage with devices that do more than just display data—they want tools that actively track information and enhance wellness and safety in their daily lives. WiSP is exactly that kind of product: it leapfrogs the app-only model and brings real-world, real-time value to users so they can be proactive in their approach to wellness and safety.”
“To mitigate traditional B2C go-to-market friction, we’ve also been very intentional about our channel strategy. Instead of a purely D2C approach, we’re also targeting concentrated, high-impact communities like Greek life. This approach allows for efficient distribution, trusted peer-to-peer validation, and built-in cultural relevance, which dramatically improves adoption and reduces CAC. It’s a more scalable, community-based entry point that allows us to build strong early traction while learning and adapting quickly.”
“In short, we’ve met the challenge not by bending to market skepticism—but by finding the believers, refining our GTM strategy, and aligning with the latest macro trends of human-device interaction for optimized advancement.”
Evolution Of The Company’s Technology
How has the company’s technology evolved since launching? Kaplan noted:
“From bulky early prototypes to the sleek, app-connected device we have today, WiSP has made tremendous technological strides since our inception. Importantly, the data stream we receive has leapfrogged our machine-learning algorithms, enabling a cybersecurity-style approach. Instead of just detecting known threats, our system is built to identify anomalies—potentially unknown risks—making the platform smarter and more adaptive in real time.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? Kaplan cited:
“Landing our first pilots with sororities and nightlife venues was a significant milestone. The ability to bring lab accuracy into an intuitive, real-life, social setting is a significant milestone. Our product was validated by both the forensic institute and a biotech lab, and we’re proud to provide a user-friendly tool that doesn’t compromise accuracy. We’re still growing, but we anticipate unveiling new detections in time that will further enable those to enjoy a night out with ease.”
Funding/Revenue
Are you able to discuss funding and/or revenue metrics? Kaplan revealed:
“We’re currently pre-revenue but have a clear go-to-market plan and initial investor backing. Our model combines a one-time device purchase with an affordable monthly subscription, providing ongoing value. We’re actively raising funds to accelerate our next phase.”
Total Addressable Market
What total addressable market (TAM) size is the company pursuing? Kaplan assessed:
“Drink spiking remains a consistent issue at bars, nightclubs, and festivals, particularly for women and the LGBTQ+ community. WiSP is addressing this urgent issue by providing young adults and college students with a real-time tool to detect drink tampering and enhance personal safety in social settings. The target audience includes college students and young adults, primarily between 18-25, Greek life members at universities and colleges, bar owners, club managers, and university campus safety programs. But drink spiking detection is just the first part of a much larger initiative. The conversation around safe and smart consumption is growing and expanding rapidly.”
“The TAM for wellness and safety tech in consumption–the biggest ‘consumer wellness block’ –now exceeds $80 billion. People want smart, intuitive tools to help them track consumption from a holistic view, so with WiSP, our goal is to provide the most well-rounded, comprehensive analytics possible in one place. Whether you’re a wellness-centric individual looking to track sleep or exercise, pre-diabetic and wanting to track sugar consumption, or a recreational drug user facing fentanyl risks, WiSP is your one-stop tool for tracking and awareness.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates the company from its competition? Kaplan affirmed:
“In today’s market, test strips are the most common solution for date rape detection or any specific- material one wants to detect. Those seem to have failed to raise widespread adoption and effectiveness. A few reasons behind their hindered success include limited coverage, a lack of awareness regarding their existence and effectiveness, users feeling insecure when using the products in public, and the long process, as strips can take up to 90 seconds to detect drink spiking.”
“Unlike reactive solutions such as test strips or institutional measures like CCTV, WiSP is proactive, personal, and integrated into everyday life. It’s a tech platform rooted in behavior and empowerment, not fear, much like a fitness tracker, but for what we consume.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of the company’s future goals? Kaplan concluded:
“We’re currently rolling out pilots across the US and UK with sororities and nightlife venues and expanding our product line to include personal-use devices. Beyond that, we plan to broaden our wellness footprint by enhancing detection capabilities and forming strategic partnerships with major hospitality and student organizations.”
