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Hannah Feldman: Designing Content to Engage Every Child, Support Every Parent

Hannah Feldman: Designing Content to Engage Every Child, Support Every Parent

Dec 01, 2022 Posted by: Anushree Nande England,  Hannah Feldman,  London,  SDG 4,  UK

Ladderworks is a publishing platform of diverse picture books and online curriculum with the mission to empower over a million kids to become social entrepreneurs. Our current series features interviews by our interplanetary journalist Spiffy with inspiring Social Entrepreneurs and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Builders, who are advancing the UN SDGs. 

Hi! It’s me, Spiffy, the interplanetary journalist reporting from Planet Earth with the latest scoop on entrepreneurs making a difference for all of us around the world! Today’s rockstar is Hannah Feldman, the CEO of Kidadl, speaking to us all the way from London.

Spiffy: Hi Hannah, thanks a million for talking to me today. Tell me, what challenge is Kidadl addressing?

Hannah: Thank you so much for having me, Spiffy! Kidadl offers a world of inspiration for every family and offers trusted content designed to engage every child and support every parent. When you visit our website, you will discover thousands of ideas, how-to manuals and resources for fun, as well as learning covering every interest imaginable—and it’s all completely free.

Spiffy: What motivated you to do it?

Hannah: I was constantly looking online for ideas to educate and entertain my three kids, and I struggled to find a trusted platform that provided them. It got me thinking that if I felt like this, surely other families and kids felt the same. I met my co-founder Sophie who shared my frustration and we decided to leave our day jobs and bring the company to life. We’ve been working together for over seven years and are still motivated and excited by building technology to help families across the world every day!

Spiffy: How would you say that the organization is working towards a more equitable world?

Hannah: At Kidadl, we believe that everyone should have access to the best-in-class information and resources, and that the online world should advance opportunities for children to discover and learn. We pride ourselves on offering trusted, free content to families globally, and helping to ignite a spark and love of learning in every child who accesses it. As two female founders, we’re also super committed to building a diverse workforce to ensure Kidadl’s team reflects the equality that we want to see in the world.

Spiffy: Tell me about a recent organizational milestone or initiative. What impact does that make on your audience?

Hannah: Kidadl started life as an app to discover and book amazing events and activities with your family. We changed course through the pandemic as families were struggling to find trusted content to help entertain and educate their kids. Having started with a couple of thousand users in one city, we now serve many millions of users across the world. The more families we serve, the more resources we can put into creating the best-in-class content, and the more kids we can engage and inspire. It's a win-win!

Spiffy: Please share an experience when you faced failure and didn't give up. What did you learn from it?

Hannah: When we first had the idea for Kidadl, we knew we needed to raise money to launch the business. We traveled far and wide to attend meetings with investors but had to listen to a lot of rejection before we finally met the people who would back us. We learnt to stay true to our convictions and our beliefs about our idea, and to understand that these setbacks only make you stronger and more committed, as every “no” just leads you closer to the next “yes”. Staying positive and focused helped us reach our goal.

Spiffy: Is there anything else you would love to tell our audience?

Hannah: Our diverse team is global—we exist across four time zones and serve families across the world. Wherever you are in the world, we’d love for you to come and get inspired at Kidadl with our ideas to keep you entertained at home, with lots of fun facts to discover and thousands of free coloring pages to enjoy. See you there!

Spiffy: Thanks for speaking with me today, Hannah—it’s been an honor!

Hannah Feldman is the co-founder of Kidadl, an ex-attorney and investment banker, and a mom of three. In a career spanning over 20 years, she has developed a love for strategy, operations, sales, and advisory work, and for spending time exploring the world with her family. (Nominated by Charlotte Michailidis at Parenthood Ventures. First published on the Ladderworks website on December 1, 2022.)

© 2022 Ladderworks LLC. Edited by Anushree Nande. Spiffy’s illustration by Shreyas Navare. For the Ladderworks digital curriculum to help K-3 kids advance the UN SDGs, visit Spiffy's Launchpad: Creative Entrepreneurship Workshops for K-3 Kids and their caregivers here.