Combining Design and Social Impact with Ilana Ben-Ari – August 20, 2020

Inventors and developers are time and time again urged to stay away from the start-up world, especially if they are women. Ilana Ben-Ari, Founder of Twenty One Toys and winner of Startup Canada’s 2019 Mississauga Canadian Export Challenge, thinks creating a sustainable business with a social purpose is for everyone. 

Ilana Ben-Ari is a multiple-award-winning design entrepreneur, TEDx Speaker, and Ariane de Rothschild Fellow. She has been working at the intersection of design and social innovation for over a decade.

Her company Twenty One Toys has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Bloomberg, and her invention, The Empathy Toy, was praised by TIME magazine as a “technology that is reshaping the future”. Her company has brought the transformative power of play into 1000s of boardrooms and classrooms worldwide through an expanding collection of toys, workshops, and training programs that prepare teams to unlock skills like empathy and failure.

“As women, we are often expected to be empathetic and put other people first. Use that empathy to connect with your audience and create a community of like-minded entrepreneurs. Know that you have the tools and skills to create a sustainable business right now.”

On this week’s THRIVE Podcast, sponsored by the Business Development Bank of Canada and Scotiabank, Ilana discusses using word of mouth marketing to break into new markets and the importance of community in the start-up world.