Christina Mercando d’Avignon is the Founder and CEO of Ringly, one of the industry’s most buzzed about wearable tech startups.
Ringly makes smart jewelry including rings and bracelets that pair with your phone allowing you to stay connected while also looking stylish. The startup seems to have cracked the “style/aesthetic” nut that so many other wearables companies have struggled to crack — Ringly prioritizes making the “tech” part of wearable tech discreet.
Crafted with semi-precious and precious hand-cut gemstones the pieces are quite stunning, yet also functional. “It’s our belief that your jewelry should not only be beautiful, but also smart,” states the 34-year old female founder. “[We] help women stay on top of their notifications discreetly, without sacrificing their personal style.”
Founded in 2013, Ringly has raised $7 million in funding from the likes of Andreessen Horowitz, First Round Capital and High Line Ventures. Read on for our full interview with Christina!
FN: You’re a UX designer by trade, how did you get into jewelry design and wearables?
CMD: I love art and I love technology, and Ringly is the perfect marriage of the two. When I was first starting out, I took jewelry design and circuit design classes so I would be able to meet and learn from experts in those fields. On top of great design and engineering, we always to put the user first.
FN: What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced as an entrepreneur?
CMD: With a company like Ringly, there are many moving parts; we’re shaping and defining an entirely new category of jewelry and fashion accessories. It’s been a challenge to bring all of the different disciplines together spanning Marketing, Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Mobile, Ecommerce, Brand and Jewelry and Electronics Manufacturing. But, challenges exist for a reason and overcoming them is also one of our greatest strengths.
FN: What accomplishment are you most proud of to date?
CMD: This might sound cliché but starting Ringly is by far my biggest accomplishment to date! I’m very proud of what my team and I have built in such a short amount of time, with limited resources.
FN: Wearables are typically about staying “connected” but your approach seems to be “to disconnect with style.” Can you elaborate on this?
CMD: I created Ringly to solve a problem. I often found myself checking my phone during important moments – dinners, important meetings, vacations… And when I did put my phone away, I would miss important calls or messages and feel so guilty about it. So I started thinking — what if I could make my jewelry smart and have it help me solve this problem. I created something to let me keep my phone out of sight, but still know if an important call or message was coming through, all without sacrificing personal style!
FN: What do wearables look like in 5-10 years time? What excites you most when it comes to fashion, technology and wearables in the future?
CMD: Wearable tech is a relatively new category in the fashion tech world and is still evolving. I believe that our clothing and accessories will become our devices in the next 5-10 years and they’ll help make us healthy, happy and more efficient. We have a lot of exciting things in the pipeline. This year we’ll be adding new collections as well as new features and functionality to our mobile experience. Stay tuned for collaborations as well!
