Driven by a shared concern over screen time, Ben Drury was inspired to create Yoto in 2015 with friend and fellow parent, Filip Denker. The screen-free audio player for children that puts kids in control of what they listen to in a safe, ad-free environment, has been described as “a godsend for modern parents” by Fast Company, and has won numerous awards including being named as one of TIME Magazine’s best inventions of 2020.
With over a million families across the UK, France, North America, and more recently Australia, reaping the benefits of screen-free learning and play, Ben leads Yoto’s ambitious growth and development - fueled by his passion to bring Yoto and its suite of innovative products to more kids across the world.
A keen entrepreneur, Ben began his career as the founder ofdotmusic.com, a company he later sold to Yahoo!, before co-founding media marketplace 7digital in 2004, running the company until it went public in 2014. Ben was named by Growing Business magazine as a Young Gun 2006 – the award for leading entrepreneurs under 35. In 2007, 7digital was awarded the prestigious Red Herring Top 100 Europe Award as one of the most promising technology companies in Europe. Ben is also a non-executive director at Pimoroni and an angel investor in companies like Permutive and Causaly.
A father of two children, Ben is a true champion of kids’ independence and is inspired by Montessori principles of child development. He loves spending time with his music-mad family and creating their own unique stories using Yoto’s Make Your Own cards. His other favourite pastime is hearing feedback from the global Yoto community on how its products are making a difference to children’s confidence, imagination and learning.