Lily Born is a great example of someone who sees a problem and seeks out the solution. At 7 years old, she noticed her grandpa knocking over and spilling drinks due to Parkinson’s disease. This led to her grandma constantly cleaning up after him. This inspired her to create a product called Kangaroo Cups. This cup consists of three legs that prevents it from tipping over. She made a prototype for her grandpa with plastic mold and a year later made one for her dad using ceramic. Lily and her dad traveled across the world to refine the models and find a manufacturer to get this product on the market. They got financial support from crowdfunding platforms like Indiegogo and Kickstarter. She was listed as Business Insider’s top 11 year old in tech and Mochi’s “25 game changers under 25.” She has also made various headlines. Lily Born is now 16 years old and has sold tens of thousands of Kangaroo cups worldwide. Lily is not only an inspiration for her innovative idea, but for her determination despite being a timid young girl.
To learn more about Lily and her story click here
Hi Naomi! Great job! This was such a cool idea. I think it’s incredible how young she was when she came up with that idea, and I like how it stemmed out of a personal experience. She had a true reason for wanting to create the cup with her grandpa in mind. The design of the cup was not anything crazy, but it was a simple and clever fix that can help thousands of people dealing with the same problem as her grandfather. Often, a new product isn’t a wild or mind-blowing design, but if people realize it will fix a problem they have, and they choose to buy it, that’s all that matters.
Aww, that’s such a sweet story and inspiration! It’s great that she made prototypes of the cup, even while she was so young. I love that she did not just help her grandpa and stop there but expanded it to help people everywhere. It’s also awesome that she overcame being shy and traveled across the world to continue to develop her cup and grow her business.
Awesome job on your post! I loved reading this story it was so precious! It’s so impressive that this young girl was already noticing problems around her and seeking to discover the solutions. Not only does Lily display great observation skills but we can see that she also cares a lot about the needs of the people around her. Observation and empathy skills are both necessary for an innovative entrepreneur to have in order to be successful.