The Future Is Now: Eran Arden of RESTORE-Skills On How Their Technological Innovation Will Help People Live Longer & Healthier

Our goal to help patients find the motivation to practice building and maintaining motor and cognitive skills drives everything we do. These are the skills they need in order to live as independently as possible. We are launching a motion-based, skill-development, multiplayer server, called RESTORE-Together, that allows nursing home patients to play developmental games. They can even play the therapy games together with their loved ones and peers during these challenging times of isolation.

As part of my series about the “The Future Is Now: Exciting Emerging Technologies”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Eran Arden

Eran Arden is CEO of RESTORE Skills, a new category of on-demand, data-driven, rehabilitation tools for the healthcare demands of the 21st century.

With over 16 years of professional work experience as Chief Executive Officer, founder, visionary, investor, and an expert in international markets, Eran Arden has worked with leading international brands such as Nike, Volkswagen, Unilever, Audi, and P&G. Using his background in marketing and brand digital transformation, Eran is leading the change in the way skill-building and rehabilitation are delivered today with RESTORE Skills, building the first therapy as a service skill-development cloud platform and disrupting a $54B market.

Previously, in 2000, he founded Tribal DDB Tel-Aviv, one Israel’s first interactive agencies, a subsidiary of Worldwide DDB. In 2003, Eran co-founded Grey Interactive, the Israel branch of Grey Worldwide, partnering with Israeli and global clients, leading digital transformation and storytelling for global brands and start-up companies. In 2007 he founded G-Factor, an Israeli Startup Accelerator Program working with more than 30 new ventures and founders.

Eran published his first book in 2006, entitled, “Kadima Taklick,” which illustrates the revolutionary impact of marketing and advertising in the digital age, with a feature on political campaigns.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

My journey has been all about welcoming what I call “surprisingly different opportunities” in life.

As the leader of a digital marketing agency in Tel Aviv, I got to run a startup accelerator. We had 32 startups participate and a few good investments. I was fortunate to work with smart, energized entrepreneurs, who were focused on marketing and advertising technologies. Digital marketing and online transformation were all I knew at the time.

But something changed in me when I met Sarit, an occupational therapist who wanted to gamify therapy, and Shay, a brilliant CTO who partnered with her. I knew that this was what I needed to do.

I decided to help make the world a better place by changing the way therapy is delivered. I invested in their venture and joined the founders’ team as CEO.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

My name is Eran, which in Hebrew means awake/intrigued/interested. For me, finding interest in everything is my nature. My life is packed with surprisingly different stories.

I was born and grew up in Israel. In Tel Aviv, you either work in a startup, your wife runs a startup, or you will work in a startup soon. Many of my friends lead startups or work in one. I was visiting one at his Tel-Aviv office when I noticed an interesting business card from the mayor of Akron, Ohio — a town I had to Google.

Turns out Akron has a health-tech related accelerator, so I sent an email to the mayor. A couple of weeks later, I met Don Plusquellic, now the former mayor of Akron, in Tel-Aviv. It was an immediate click, and the city invested in our startup, RESTORE-Skills. Don’s team helped us build partnerships with Cleveland Clinic, Akron Hospital, and introduced us to investors in Northeast Ohio.

I relocated to Akron, Ohio with my family. Funny enough Don actually resigned two weeks before our relocation. We live in NJ now, but our headquarters remain in Akron, Ohio.

Can you tell us about the cutting edge technological breakthroughs that you are working on? How do you think that will help people?

Our goal to help patients find the motivation to practice building and maintaining motor and cognitive skills drives everything we do. These are the skills they need in order to live as independently as possible. We are launching a motion-based, skill-development, multiplayer server, called RESTORE-Together, that allows nursing home patients to play developmental games. They can even play the therapy games together with their loved ones and peers during these challenging times of isolation.

How do you think this might change the world?

The world’s population is aging. We want to help people live longer, healthier and as independent as possible. Data-driven gamified activities, that are motivational and customized to each specific player’s needs and abilities, can help our parents and grandparents today — as well as all of us in the future.

Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this breakthrough? Can you tell us that story?

The pandemic changed our course of action. We needed to adjust our business plan in order to meet the immediate market needs and help this most vulnerable population.

What we’re seeing is that during the forced COVID-19 isolation, finding the motivation to practice therapy exercises is even more challenging. Residents and therapists alike are tired of the limited therapy exercises they can practice in patient rooms.

With the help of RESTORE-Skills sand RESTORE-Together, we want skilled nursing patients to play therapy-driven skill-building games remotely with their loved ones, connect with other residents for a group activity, and even participate in live, nationwide gaming tournaments — all from the safety of their rooms!

What do you need to lead this technology to widespread adoption?

We are inspired by the stories and feedback we receive from teams and residents in nursing homes using RESTORE-Skills. We understand that building a new category and changing habits and behavior in a market that does not rapidly innovate is an ambitious task.

We need to build and support a tribe of change agents who want to make each day a better day for our loved ones in nursing homes. We need therapists who understand the benefit of using data-driven activities and are ready to leave behind the decades old therapy cones and range of motion arcs.

What have you been doing to publicize this idea? Have you been using any innovative marketing strategies?

I have simple point of view here, RESTORE-Skills is not the not the story, we are not the heroes, and the idea is much bigger than the platform or it’s brilliant components. Our marketing and communication strategy is based on sharing the success stories and breakthroughs created by the team members in nursing homes, our partners and most importantly their patients. It is never about us and what we do, and always about the amazing work of the therapy teams taking care of loved ones.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I grew up in an interesting family. My grandparents on both sides were Holocaust survivors who came to Israel to build a country, which in itself was practically a startup. My grandma still makes sure that I will remember to never give up, see the positive in every situation and that sense of humor is the most important ingredient in life.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

I am grateful for the opportunity to lead a team that wakes up every morning to make the world a better place. All that I need to do is make sure that I can coach them along the way and provide them with the resources they need to execute their ideas in the best way possible.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

I find the term “Shared Responsibility” great and problematic at the same time. The quality of our lives is dependent on the responsibilities we own while sharing is what makes us human and drives the core of our existence. But once you mix the two of them together the line blurs.

I wish that in real life, just like in games, we had a positive social/reward platform that can show us the potential of fulfilling our individual responsibilities and then presents the multiplier effect that our responsibilities creates once they are shared with others.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

In a world that makes it so easy to share our thoughts and words with everyone, I believe that we all need to remember Mahatma Gandhi’s words: “…Your words become your actions, Your actions become your habits, Your habits become your values, Your values become your destiny.”

We own our words and actions. They are our responsibility, and they impact others. Building a company with the goal of making the world a better place is a great way to align my words and actions.

Some very well-known VCs read this column. If you had 60 seconds to make a pitch to a VC, what would you say? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂

Why would I pitch to VC?…. OK… Let’s give it a try…. Are you sure that your goals are aligned with our company goals? Are you sure that you can help us accelerate our growth? And the last one, if you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?

How can our readers follow you on social media?

https://www.linkedin.com/in/eranarden/


The Future Is Now: Eran Arden of RESTORE-Skills On How Their Technological Innovation Will Help… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

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