WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — Every 68 seconds, someone in America is sexually assaulted. According to a 2024 study, 75% of these victims were drugged or intoxicated.
It’s a statistic that Williamson County student Abigail Goddard is working to combat.
Now 16 years old and entering her senior year at Ravenwood High School, Goddard started her mission at age 15 after witnessing the devastating impact a spiked drink had on a family member.
“Last year, a close family member of mine told me that in her freshman year of college she was given a drugged drink and she was sexually assaulted the same night,” said Goddard. “That’s when I first realized how big of a problem drink spiking was and how it was impacting women in college especially.”
Goddard said she wanted to help make social environments safer, so she began working on crafting a discreet and reliable detection tool.
“I started looking up safety solutions to see if there was something out there that was appealing to young people that would effectively prevent and target drink spiking,” said Goddard. “I wasn’t really pleased with the solutions out there, so I figured, I would try and do something to stop it.”
After finding a pharmaceutical partner, Spikey was born.
Spikey looks like a keychain and is customizable to include a name, initials, or Greek sorority/fraternity letters. Users pull out the enclosed strip and place a drop of their drink on it with a finger or straw.
In 15 seconds or less, a color change may occur. If there’s a change, it’s been contaminated with a common date-rape drug such as GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate), Ketamine, Scopolamine, Cocaine, and many other amine-based drugs.
Goddard has worked with the Williamson County Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center to develop her pitch and acquire funding.
“I started throwing products in my backpack, selling them in person, and sometimes I was making $300 to $400 a day,” said Goddard. “That’s when I realized this could go online, this could be a real business.”
To date, Goddard’s distributed over 14,000 test strips, amounting to about $30,000 in revenue.
The 16-year-old has taken Spikey to nine business competitions, winning or placing in all of them.
She has won $40,000 from the competitions and that money goes toward building her business. Goddard said her next vision is to transition from 3D printing to injection molding.
Goddard is working with Nashville’s Safe Bar program. The team just ordered about 3,000 Spikeys to distribute.
She is also working with lawmakers including U.S. Senator for Tennessee Marsha Blackburn to create legislation related to drink safety.
“Long-term, I see a Spikey being handed to incoming freshman at universities across the nation,” said Goddard. “We’re expanding into Greek Life and nightlife as well, especially here in Nashville.”
Goddard said she also envisions dispensers in bar bathrooms and vending machines at major events.
“I spend so much time with Spikey, it’s the first and last thing I think about every day, because I care,” said Goddard. “I am just grateful that I can do what I love while helping others.”