Our Story
Why we built Velyra.
A mission to make nights out safer — born from a real news moment and a gap nobody else was filling.
Our Origin
Built because people deserve to feel safer when they go out.
It started with a news story.
Founder Avery Chapman was watching coverage of a new Tennessee law — one that made spiking someone's drink a felony. The law was a signal: this is serious, and it's finally being treated that way.
That raised an obvious question. If the risk is serious enough to carry a felony charge, why is it still so hard for an ordinary guest to do anything about it in the moment?
Avery went looking for a solution venues could actually offer — something discreet, simple, and available right where a guest already steps away from their drink. There was almost nothing. So Avery started talking to bar owners directly, listening to what they'd actually put in their restrooms, and designing a station that asked nothing of their staff and cost them nothing.
Velyra is the result: a free, fully managed safety station that puts drink test strips and personal essentials within reach — and gives venues a quiet, visible way to show they care.
We didn't build Velyra out of fear. We built it because doing right by guests shouldn't be complicated, and great venues deserve an easy way to lead.
“If a state will treat this as a felony, the least we can do is make protection effortless — for guests and for the venues that serve them.”
Because everyone deserves to feel safe on a night out.
What We Believe
The values behind the work.
Prevention
Give people a tool in the moment, before something goes wrong.
Accessibility
Make it free for venues and easy for guests to reach.
Privacy
Discreet by design — no awkward asks, no data harvesting.
Responsibility
Honest about what our products do, and what they don't.
Avery Chapman
Founder · Gallatin, TN
“I built Velyra because I kept thinking about how easy it should be for a venue to help — and how hard it actually was. We took the cost and the work off the table so that doing the right thing is the easy thing.”
Where We Are Today
Serving Nashville & Middle Tennessee — and growing.
We're Gallatin-based, founder-led, and focused on getting safety stations into the venues our region trusts.
Based in Gallatin, TN — Serving Nashville & Middle Tennessee
Help us make nights out safer.
Partner with Velyra — it's free, and we do the work.