With Innovative Product Design and social progress lies a unique story of collaboration. Jessica Trejo, Social Innovation Manager at Hansgrohe, visited PHOENIX last year and delivered an inspiring talk about her research into a new market in Africa, challenging us to design a new product. Although we cannot disclose anything about the shower design right now, we have been working on this partnership for a year, and the product is currently under testing and refinement. Through Jessica, we have met Mary Apolot, who works in a Social Innovation Academy in Uganda. She helps redefining entrepreneurship by empowering young people to build resilient, community-driven enterprises. Transforming human potential into sustainable innovation. The partnership of Mary, Jessica and PHOENIX is not about charity. We are creating Design for Wellbeing and combining corporate design logic with grassroots ingenuity to shape a product that thrives within constraints and creates lasting social and environmental impact. We received Mary in our Stuttgart office, and she gave us a grounding talk about innovation and creativity. In this article, we will talk about that.
Mary has used her knowledge and experience working with entrepreneurs for over seven years; she guides them on the personal journey of self-discovery and eventually creating their social enterprises. Participants move through phases of personal development, professional growth, customer discovery, solution testing, and a five-month acceleration program supported by mentoring and grants.
Each step is organised to translate human experience into viable business models. Entrepreneurs explore critical sectors such as agriculture, clean energy, health, and education, adapting their solutions to meet community-specific challenges. Many of which arise in refugee camp environments.
This model represents Strategic Design in action: testing, failing, and refining ideas in real-world conditions until they become sustainable enterprises capable of scaling beyond their origins.
More than two years ago, Mary and Hansgrohe began an exchange that bridges German engineering precision with African creativity. Hansgrohe, known globally for its visionary bathroom innovations and long-standing collaboration with PHOENIX, recognised the power of knowledge-sharing beyond industry borders.
Through workshops and field interactions, Jessica gained new perspectives on innovation under constraint, while Ugandan entrepreneurs discovered how structured product thinking can enhance local solutions. This collaboration illustrates the principles of Business Design, which value humility, shared responsibility, and cultural empathy.
In essence, it is an embodiment of PHOENIX's Moral pillar: creating design that not only performs but also uplifts.
One of Mary’s most profound belives is the philosophy of turning setbacks into strength. Entrepreneurs are taught to view failure as a feedback loop. That is an essential tool for iteration and learning.
By integrating continuous reflection and customer feedback into their process, participants develop a mindset aligned with Product Innovation Studio thinking.
It's a disciplined creativity that combines emotional intelligence with market validation. This approach fosters resilience, ensuring that ideas evolve into scalable, community-owned enterprises.
Traditional aid often focuses on financial assistance. Mary’s redefines this dynamic by prioritising knowledge exchange and long-term empowerment. It shifts the narrative from donation to co-creation, from dependency to autonomy.
By supporting entrepreneurs in protecting their intellectual property, scaling their enterprises, and refining their business models, Mary is crafting a new blueprint for Design for Wellbeing: where innovation serves both people and planet.
The collaboration's impact raises crucial questions for the future:
The answers lie in expanding this Strategic Design framework and bridging corporate expertise with local insight to co-create systems of sustainable growth.
We have presented to Mary our Yoyo kit and the Beyond Play workshop that we conducted in India and at the Girls' Day in Germany. Impressed by how our yoyo-kit can help break the shell of failure and inspire new ways of seeing solutions. Now we can discuss expanding the workshop to include adults as well. We would be happy to share with Mary the blueprint of our way of thinking so they can use it in their workshops.
Mary’s partnership with Hansgrohe demonstrates how purpose-driven design can reshape the boundaries of innovation. It shows that design is not confined to studios or markets. It can thrive in refugee camps, communities, and every space where creativity meets need.
By merging Innovative Product Design with empathy and education, this collaboration transforms innovation into impact, proving that true progress begins when design serves humanity.
