Meet Deven

I'm Deven, Unity-Rose's handler and best buddy. I live with anosmia — the loss of the sense of smell — which means I can't detect smoke, gas, or fire the way most people can. Unity is my early-warning system, and this site is my way of answering the questions we get out in the world calmly and once, in writing.

This condition was initially inconvenient; no more stopping to smell the roses. No more tantalizing food smells. The way I describe it, about 30% of the sensors send data, and they all lie. Absolutely nothing, when I can detect a smell at all, smells like it did.

Then I almost burned down a room because there was no warning (in English) on the TV dinner I tossed into a microwave after checking it carefully, then went out onto the patio. The microwave was in flames, smoke billowing out the door, smoke alarm sitting there quietly, and I couldn't smell a thing.

I got her about 6 months later, and ironically, adopted her from a family with an allergic newborn - and none of us had a clue about either's nose issues when we connected.

We're a team. She works hard, and off the clock she's as playful as any dog who loves a ball and a good walk - well, a run in her case.

I like to build things and solve relevant problems with a focus on making the world better through business and technology. If you want to learn more, check out DevenRoseVentures.com (currently down for maintenance 6/1/2026).