Profession: Business Owner/Manager

Number of times previously entering contest: 1

Inspired by: I'm inspired by solving real problems in people's everyday lives and creating a positive social impact through my work. It's this desire to do good through tech that led me to my first job in the solar industry after receiving my BASc in Mechatronics from the University of Toronto.
I was inspired to tackle the problem of patient-transfer and client-handling in healthcare after an experience I had in my youth. When my family first came to Canada in 2001, my mother worked as a housekeeper in Long-Term Care homes. I used to volunteer with her at these homes and spend quality time with the residents there. While I enjoyed these visits, I was always bothered by the process of moving those residents who needed mobility assistance. The process and equipment used required immense physical strain from caregivers, and was undignified for residents, which often led to expressions on their part, and resulting emotional strain on caregivers. It was an unpleasant experience for the caregiver, the resident, and myself as an onlooker. That problem stuck with me. Nearly 20 years later, after a successful career in solar, I decided it was time for a new challenge; I set out to solve this problem by founding Able Innovations in early 2018 and making it our mission to develop safe, efficient, and dignified transfer devices, and to make our devices the new standard in healthcare & homecare.